Top 10 Classic Movies With Most Oscars Awards & Nominations In History

There are films that make people walk away and there are names that stay classic through the decades. These legends of cinema instantly became blockbusters when they were released, then widely recognized by both critics and audiences. We are talking about top 10 movies with most Oscars awards in history.

Can you guess what movie won the most Oscars ever? There are more than one, to be exact. There is only one most Oscar nominations movie though, but is it the most Oscar winning movies. Sounds complicated? Here we got you answers below!

10. Gone With The Wind (1939) – 8 Oscars Awards

Imagine a movie released in 1939 that got $390 million in gross? That’s already a whopping amount even today film would dream of, but Gone With The Wind’s box office collection actually several times multiplies that number if added inflation. And you should know this Victor Fleming-directed film was made on a budget of $3.85 million, just one-tenth of its revenue.

The movie was produced based on the 1936 novel of the same name on American Civil War by author Margaret Mitchell under Selznick International Pictures. Gone With The Wind stars Vivien Leigh in the lead role of strong-willed Scarlett O’Hara and she nailed it. People praised Vivien Leigh was born for the character while other two male lead roles by Clark Gable (Rhett Butler) and Leslie Howard (Ashley Wilkes) were also acclaimed widely.

Gone With The Wind was nominated in 13 categories at the 12^th Academy Awards (the Oscars). It won 8 awards including Best Director, Best Actress and Best Art Direction.

>>> Watch the film at: "Gone With The Wind" Full Movie Download

9. From Here To Eternity (1953) – 8 Oscars Awards

Also winning 8 Academy Awards in this list of movies with most Oscars is the 1953 drama romance war film by Fred Zinnemann. From Here To Eternity was made based on a 1951 novel of the same name from James Jones, depicting hardships that actual people in the history went through in the pre-World War II period.

The film starred Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra in the roles of 3 U.S soldiers while Deborah Kerr and Donna Reed played two of their women. The film got 13 nominations and won 8 of them, including Best Director, Best Supporting Actor and Actress.

8. My Fair Lady (1964) – 8 Oscars Awards

My Fair Lady is the first of three musical films that rank in the list of most Oscar-winning movies. It was made based on the stage play Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw. The movie told an intriguing story between a poor flower-seller Eliza Doolittle (played by Audrey Hepburn) and Henry Higgins (played by Rex Harrison) who often wagers to teach her proper English to blend in high-class Londoners.

Gaining $72.7 million of grossing, My Fair Lady was a commercial hit when released in 1964. It got huge critical acclaims for the actors’ performance as well as film direction. As expected, the George Cukor-directed movie achieved loud success at the Academy Awards with 8 Oscars out of 12 nominations.

7. Gigi (1958) – 9 Oscars Awards

Another movie with most Oscars was based on a novel, Gigi in 1958 won 9 Oscars out of 9 nominations for Best Director, Best Song and Best Costume Design, etc.

Gigi was a musical romance movie and selected for preservation by the US National Film Registry because of its cultural, historical and aesthetic values. The film was directed by the talented Vincente Minnelli.

The title role Gigi was first offered to Audrey Hepburn but she refused. The producer then decided to offer Leslie Caron who was living in London at that time. Despite some obstacles at first, Leslie Caron finally agreed to join the project, contributing to the success of this cinema gem.

6. The Last Emperor (1987) – 9 Oscars Awards

Surprisingly, a China-related product becomes a long-lasting thing. Just kidding, The Last Emperor deserves winning 9 Oscars awards for its excellent direction and film editing.

The movie narrates life story of Puyi, the very last emperor of China. He was on the throne when being a 2-year-old toddler then was forced to abdicate when he was 6. Hundred ordeals happened to Puyi after that, which was depicted vividly in Bernardo Bertolucci’s movie.

The film was nominated in 9 categories and won all, including Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Art Direction. If you want to know more about Chinese history, this is a must-watch.

5. The English Patient (1996) – 9 Oscars Awards

Made based on the novel The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje, the 1996 epic romance war drama movie received tremendous praise just like the book itself.

The film narrates stories of four people sheltering in an abandoned villa in Italy during the last months of World War II. Among them was an English man burned beyond recognition. This lead role was taken care of by a young nurse, baring with her all his secrets and guilt before he stepped into the war.

The English Patient was nominated 12 times at the 69^th Oscars with 9 victories. Anthony Minghella won Best Director whereas Juliette Binoche received Best Supporting Actress award.

4. West Side Story (1961) – 10 Oscars Awards

West Side Story is the most successful musical film that appears in top 10 movies with most Oscars. It won 10 out of 11 Oscars nomination including Special Award and Best Picture.

West Side Story was rich in American culture and chosen for the National Film Registry preservation in 1997. The film was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, starring Natalie Wood and Richard Beymer in lead roles.

3. The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) – 11 Oscars Awards

This is the youngest movie in today list, also among 3 best movies that win 11 Oscars Awards in the history. The Lord of the Ring: The Return of the King was based on the book volume of the same name by J.R.R Tolkien. The Peter Jackson-directed film ranked sixth place in topmost successful movies from books.

With 11 wins out of 11 nominations and $1.1 billion of grossing, this movie is listed among the greatest and most influential films of all time. It was called the highest clean sweep at the Academy Awards history.

2. Ben-Hur (1959) – 11 Oscars Awards

Made on a budget of $15.2 million in 1959, Ben-Hur was one of the most expensive films of its time with the largest sets of film production ever built. Ben-Hur also owns the most expensive movie scene in the history that cost around $34 million in 2020 if adjusted for inflation.

However, its investment proves effective when the movie collected $147 million of grossing on initial release, being the second most successful film at the time, only surpassed by Gone With The Wind.

Ben-Hur received more Oscars awards that its rival though. The movie was nominated in 12 categories and won 11 of them, namely Best Director for William Wyler, Best Actor for Charlton Heston and Best Supporting Actor for Hugh Griffith

1. Titanic (1997) – 11 Oscars Awards

We put Titanic the Queen in most Oscar winning movies list today though it has the same number of Oscars awards as Ben-Hur and The Lord Of The Rings because it received up to 14 nominations in total.

It was also the highest-grossing movie in this list with $2.2 billion of box office collection to date. Titanic is also among the most popular films of all time, known by both young and old audiences.

There remain many mysteries and interesting facts about this movie as well as its characters. You can read our previous post on the real Rose Calvert and watch the film free with Titanic movie download link here.

If you find this article of top 10 movies with most Oscars useful, please visit Starbiz.com daily for more interesting posts!

>>> Related post: Top 10 Christopher Nolan Best Movies: Life Is Not The Same After You Watch These Masterpieces