The nominations have been announced for the 96th Academy Awards, to be held on Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in L.A. Not only the preeminent honor in the motion picture industry but also such a symbol of overall excellence that awards in other fields are often described as “the Oscars of….”
Many of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time have failed to win one of the coveted statuettes, however. “Citizen Kane,” often named the best movie of all time, was one that was shut out; others include “The Shining,” “Psycho,” and “The Shawshank Redemption.” Other standout movies have won only in comparatively minor categories. Stanley Kubrick’s iconic “2001: A Space Odyssey,” for example, took home an Oscar only for Best Visual Special Effects.
Nonetheless, receiving even a single Academy Award, in whatever category, lends a movie – deservedly or not – a certain cachet, and draws in audiences even long after its original release.
While many prestigious films of the past are available to stream on pay platforms, the good news for movie buffs is that there are also plenty of Oscar-winners streaming for free.
To determine the best Oscar-winning movies to stream for free this February, 24/7 Tempo developed an index using average ratings on IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, and a combination of audience scores and Tomatometer scores on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, as of early February 2024, weighting all ratings equally. We considered only Oscar-winning movies with at least 500 audience votes on either IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes that are streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex, Amazon Freevee, Vudu, or Crackle, and ruled out documentaries.
Information on awards comes from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Oscar database. Note that the names of some categories have changed over the years, while some award categories have been deleted or added. Data on streaming availability, also current as of early February, comes from the streaming guide Reelgood.
Among the top-flight films on this list that you won’t want to miss (or will want to see again) are John Ford’s classic Western “Stagecoach,” Martin Scorsese’s powerful boxing saga “Raging Bull,” Woody Allen’s whimsical “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” Alfred Hitchcock’s gripping thriller “The Man Who Knew Too Much,” and Oliver Stone’s gritty Vietnam drama “Platoon.” (These are 25 of the Oscars’ most egregious snubs.)
Here is the list of Oscar-winning movies to stream for free this month:
24. Blood on the Sun (1945)
- IMDb user rating: 6.1/10 (1,970 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 36% (428 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: N/A
- Streaming on: Tubi
- Oscar(s) won: Art Direction (Black-and-White)
23. The Great Gatsby (1974)
- IMDb user rating: 6.4/10 (24,371 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 47% (20,787 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 39% (36 reviews)
- Streaming on: Pluto TV
- Oscar(s) won: Costume Design; Music (Scoring: Original Song Score and Adaptation or Scoring: Adaptation)
22. Cromwell (1970)
- IMDb user rating: 6.9/10 (6,388 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (1,642 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 43% (7 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi
- Oscar(s) won: Costume Design
21. A Farewell to Arms (1932)
- IMDb user rating: 6.5/10 (5,644 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (5,705 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (16 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee, Crackle
- Oscar(s) won: Cinematography; Sound Recording
20. The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (24,028 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (9,768 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 72% (36 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi
- Oscar(s) won: Music (Song – Original for the Picture)
19. The Reader (2008)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (236,206 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (206,952 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 63% (204 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Plex
- Oscar(s) won: Actress in a Leading Role
18. Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (248,537 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (104,086 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 81% (212 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi
- Oscar(s) won: Actress in a Supporting Role
17. If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
- IMDb user rating: 7.1/10 (45,888 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (2,617 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 95% (362 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi
- Oscar(s) won: Actress in a Supporting Role
16. Sophie’s Choice (1982)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (45,838 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (21,561 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 78% (41 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee, Plex, Crackle
- Oscar(s) won: Actress in a Leading Role
15. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
- IMDb user rating: 7.4/10 (61,519 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (34,043 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (39 reviews)
- Streaming on: Crackle
- Oscar(s) won: Music (Song)
14. The Westerner (1940)
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (5,548 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 76% (744 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (6 reviews)
- Streaming on: Amazon Freevee, Plex
- Oscar(s) won: Actor in a Supporting Role
13. The Fortune Cookie (1966)
- IMDb user rating: 7.3/10 (13,691 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 80% (4,687 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (26 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
- Oscar(s) won: Actor in a Supporting Role
12. Leaving Las Vegas (1995)
- IMDb user rating: 7.5/10 (119,047 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (56,598 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (53 reviews)
- Streaming on: Amazon Freevee
- Oscar(s) won: Actor in a Leading Role
11. Wonder Man (1945)
- IMDb user rating: 7.0/10 (2,104 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 84% (1,503 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (9 reviews)
- Streaming on: Pluto TV, Plex
- Oscar(s) won: Special Effects
10. Wuthering Heights (1939)
- IMDb user rating: 7.6/10 (16,674 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 85% (8,793 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 96% (23 reviews)
- Streaming on: Plex
- Oscar(s) won: Cinematography (Black-and-White)
9. Forrest Gump (1994)
- IMDb user rating: 8.8/10 (1,905,676 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 95% (1,244,237 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 71% (104 reviews)
- Streaming on: Pluto TV
- Oscar(s) won: Best Picture; Actor in a Leading Role; Directing; Film Editing; Visual Effects; Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published)
8. Boyhood (2014)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (344,547 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (89,860 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 97% (327 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Plex
- Oscar(s) won: Actress in a Supporting Role
7. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
- IMDb user rating: 7.7/10 (10,492 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 89% (6,847 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 94% (32 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Amazon Freevee, Plex
- Oscar(s) won: Film Editing
6. Platoon (1986)
- IMDb user rating: 8.1/10 (395,356 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (240,012 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 87% (69 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi
- Oscar(s) won: Best Picture; Directing; Film Editing; Sound
5. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (717,370 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (768,808 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 88% (73 reviews)
- Streaming on: Pluto TV
- Oscar(s) won: Sound Effects Editing
4. Stagecoach (1939)
- IMDb user rating: 7.9/10 (46,215 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 86% (14,658 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 100% (45 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV, Crackle
- Oscar(s) won: Actor in a Supporting Role; Music (Scoring)
3. Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
- IMDb user rating: 8.3/10 (78,648 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (8,681 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 91% (23 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
- Oscar(s) won: Actor; Writing (Screenplay Based On Material From Another Medium)
2. Raging Bull (1980)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (356,943 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 93% (131,523 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 93% (76 reviews)
- Streaming on: Tubi, Pluto TV
- Oscar(s) won: Actor in a Leading Role; Film Editing
1. L.A. Confidential (1997)
- IMDb user rating: 8.2/10 (551,824 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 94% (150,890 reviews)
- Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer score: 99% (115 reviews)
- Streaming on: Plex
- Oscar(s) won: Actress in a Supporting Role; Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published)