Join us as we count down the days to the upcoming Academy Awards with three of the most successful Oscar-winning films.
The 96th Academy Awards is happening on March 10 (March 11 for those in the Philippines). Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is currently leading with 13 Oscar nominations, followed by Poor Things and Killers of the Flower Moon.
READ ALSO: Awards Season: The 96th Oscars Nominations’ Biggest Nods And Snubs
While we can’t wait to see who this year’s big winners will be, here’s a look at some of the past films that have won the most Oscars at the award ceremony. Three films currently hold the record for most wins, with 11 awards each.
Ben-Hur (1959)
William Wyler’s biblical epic Ben-Hur took the 32nd Academy Awards by storm. The film broke the previous record held by Gigi, which won nine awards just a year before.
Charlton Heston played the title character and starred alongside Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Haya Harareet, Hugh Griffith, Martha Scott, Cathy O’Donnell, and Sam Jaffe. At the time, most of the actors were absent from the award ceremony due to the 1960 actors strike.
The film was nominated in 12 categories, winning all but one (it missed out on Best Adapted Screenplay). Some of its awards include Best Motion Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Cinematography.
Titanic (1997)
Almost 40 years later, James Cameron’s Titanic was only the second film to win as many awards as Ben-Hur did. The film had the most nominations at the 70th Academy Awards with 14. Only two other films (All About Eve and La La Land) have achieved this record.
Titanic’s lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio wasn’t nominated for his role and wasn’t present at the ceremony. While Kate Winslet was nominated for Best Actress, she did not win the trophy. Gloria Stuart, who played the older Rose DeWitt Bukater, became the oldest actor nominated for an Oscar (Best Supporting Actress) at age 87.
The film ended up winning the coveted Best Picture award as well as Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song among others.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
The original trilogy’s final hurrah made a clean sweep at the 76th Oscars, winning all 11 of its nominations. It broke Gigi and The Last Emperor’s records, becoming the film with the largest sweep in Oscars history.
With The Lord of the Rings’ huge ensemble cast, none of the performers were nominated in acting categories. Nevertheless, the epic high fantasy film was crowned as the year’s Best Picture.
Its other wins include a Best Director award for Peter Jackson, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects.
Banner image via Instagram @titanicmovie.