How many of these highest-grossing Oscar winners have you seen?
Critics and the general audience don’t always agree on what the best movies are. In these instances, however, the films managed to win over both.
Most recently, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite was a worldwide success, earning around $262 million at the box office. At the 92nd Academy Awards, it became the first non-English-language film to win Best Picture.
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This year, several of the nominated films have earned over $100 million worldwide. Barbie leads the pack with over $1.4 billion while Oppenheimer (which many watched back-to-back) has earned around $957 million.
Here’s a look back at other Best Picture winners that also succeeded at the box office.
The King’s Speech (2010)
Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech earned around $484 million worldwide. Starring Colin Firth, Helena Bonham Carter, Geoffrey Rush, Guy Pearce, and Michael Gambon, the film told the story of King George VI overcoming his stammer.
Following the nomination, the film expanded to more theaters, earning an impressive amount considering its budget of $15 million. Out of 12 nominations, The King’s Speech won four of them: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Firth, and Best Original Screenplay.
Gladiator (2000)
It’s not often the Academy awards an epic film like Gladiator with the Best Picture trophy. Nominated for 12 Oscars (the most of any film that year), it ultimately won five. Aside from Best Picture, the film also received awards for Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects.
Gladiator was a summer blockbuster in 2000, becoming one of the highest-grossing movies of the year with around $465 million. The story follows a fallen general who becomes a gladiator, determined to avenge his murdered family.
Forrest Gump (1994)
1994 was a year for films that eventually became modern classics. Forrest Gump was released alongside other greats such as Pulp Fiction, The Shawshank Redemption, Interview with the Vampire, and Lion King among others. In the end, the life story of an Alabama man born in the 1950s won over the rest.
Earning $678 million worldwide, Forrest Gump was nominated in 13 categories. The film won six of those nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Robert Zemeckis), Best Actor (Tom Hanks), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Following a huge leap, the final installment in the original Lord of the Rings trilogy earned around $1.15 billion at the box office. With many loyal fans anticipating the end of the fantasy epic, this comes as no surprise.
At the 76th Academy Awards, The Return of the King made the largest sweep in Oscars history, taking home all 11 of its nominations. Some of its wins include Best Picture, Best Director (Peter Jackson), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects.
Titanic (1997)
As the first ever film to earn over $1 billion at the box office, it’s only right that James Cameron’s Titanic is at the top of this list. After its original run and several re-releases, the film sits at around $2.26 billion, another far jump above the rest.
Along with The Return of the King, it’s one of the three films that have one the most Oscars with 11 awards. Aside from winning Best Picture, the film also received awards for Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Song among others.
Banner image via Instagram @theacademy.
