While there are many films that have brought home more than one award at the Oscars throughout its almost 94-year existence, some films have scored more than the rest. Because of this, we thought it was time to look at which films have managed to win the most awards at the Academy Awards.
With that out of the way, it’s time to journey back through Oscar history and see which films managed to bring home the highest number of shiny gold trophies, from an epic Civil War romance to a giant fantasy finale.
Updated on March 2nd, 2022, by Shawn S. Lealos: With the 95th Annual Academy Awards taking place in 2022, there are two movies that have a chance to make history. Both The Power of the Dog and Dune have double-digit nominations. Throughout movie history, there have been only four movies that have won 10 or more Oscars.
However, there are several movies that have eight Oscar wins or more, and while some might be more beloved than others, all these movies deserve recognition. The movies include crowd-pleasing dramas, Broadway musical adaptations, and classic masterpieces. There might be some movies that surpass these 15 Oscar-winning movies, but for now, these are the best of the best.
Cabaret (1972) - 8
- Streaming now on HBO Max.
Based on the musical of the same name, Cabaret was a massive hit when it arrived in theaters in 2972 and it won Oscar gold. Bob Fosse directed and choreographed the movie, which told the story of a love affair between Sally Bowles and Cliff Bradshaw during the rise of the Nazis in Germany.
Cabaret picked up 10 Oscar nominations and won eight of them. Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey won the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor awards, while Bob Fosse took home the Best Director award. However, it failed to take home the big one, by losing out on Best Picture to The Godfather. Cabaret also won awards for its cinematography, set direction, sound, editing, and music.
On the Waterfront (1954) - 8
- Available to rent on Apple TV.
In 1954, Marlon Brando starred in his masterpiece. On the Waterfront saw Brando star as a prizefighter named Terry Malloy who is convinced to work with a corrupt union boss. However, when Terry decides that he has to stand up for his beliefs, he risks everything.
On the Waterfront had 12 nominations and eight wins, picking up a Best Actor win for Brando, while also winning the Best Picture award and the Best Director win for Eliza Kazan. Evan Marie Saint won Best Supporting Actress, while the movie also picked up wins for Best Cinematography, Best Writing, Best Art Direction, and Best Film Editing.
Gandhi (1982) - 8
- Available to rent on Apple TV.
In 1982, Richard Attenborough directed a movie based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi follows his story from a life-changing moment in 1893 to his rise as a nonviolent pacifist building a huge movement to his eventual assassination.
Ben Kingsley starred as the title character and won a Best Actor award for the performance. Attenbourough won the Best Director award while the movie also won Best Picture. Gandhi had 11 Oscar nominations and won eight of them. The other wins included Best Writing, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Film Editing.
Amadeus (1984) - 8
- Available to rent on Apple TV.
Milos Forman directed a movie about Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart based on the stage play Amadeus. However, unlike a movie like Gandhi, Amadeus is a fictional retelling of the life story of the musical composer, with a fictional rivalry thrown in for dramatic purposes.
Fans and critics loved it, with the movie picking up 10 Oscar nominations, winning eight of them. The wins included Best Picture, Best Director for Forman, and Best Actor for F. Murray Abraham. The other awards included Best Writing, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Sound, and Best Makeup.
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) - 8
- Streaming now on Hulu.
Danny Boyle directed the movie Slumdog Millionaire in 2008. The movie, a British drama, took the form of a Bollywood movie and told the story of a young man named Jamal, played by Dev Patel. It followed Jamal from the slums who went onto the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
This was a feel-good story that earned 10 Oscar nominations, winning eight of them. While the movie didn't earn a single acting nomination, it did win Best Picture and Best Director at the Academy Awards. The movie also picked up wins for Best Writing, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Best Song, and Best Sound Mixing.
Gone With The Wind (1939) - 8
- Streaming now on HBO Max.
The iconic 1939 historical romance known as Gone with the Wind, adapted from the 1936 novel of the same name by Margaret Mitchell, tells of a woman who sorts through love affairs while living life in the south during the Civil War.
The film received a record number of wins and nominations at the 12th Academy Awards, winning Best Picture, Best Director (Victor Fleming), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel), Best Cinematography Color, Best Film Editing, and Best Art Direction. William Cameron Menzies also received a special award for his use of color in the film, while Don Musgrave and Selznick International Pictures received an additional Technical Achievement Award.
From Here To Eternity (1953) - 8
- Available to rent on Apple TV.
The romantic drama From Here to Eternity, based on the book of the same name by James Jones, recounts the lives of three U.S. Army soldiers who are stationed in Hawaii. What they don't know is that the tragic attack on Pearl Harbor is quickly approaching.
Though Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, and Deborah Kerr didn't win the acting categories they were nominated in, Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed brought home Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, while Fred Zinnemann won Best Director. The film also received Best Picture, Best Writing, Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Black-and-White), Best Costume Design (Black-and-White), Best Film Editing, Best Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Sound (Recording).
My Fair Lady (1964) - 8
- Streaming now on Netflix.
The popular stage musical, My Fair Lady, received a film adaption in 1964. Thankfully, it was just as charming as the original despite starring Audrey Hepburn in the leading role instead of Julie Andrews, who had stared as Eliza in the Broadway production. My Fair Lady tells of a phonetics professor who hopes to turn a working-class woman into an esteemed member of high society. While the two at first don't get along, their platonic relationship begins to develop into something more romantic.
The film won eight Oscars including Best Actor (Rex Harrison), Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Adaption or Treatment Score, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Director (George Cukor), and of course, Best Picture.
Gigi (1958) - 9
- Streaming now on HBO Max.
Gig broke records when the 31st Academy Awards rolled around in 1959 by scoring nine awards including Best Picture and Best Director (Vincente Minnelli). The musical romance, based on the 1944 novella of the same name by Colette, tells of a man who is constantly taking on new lovers. As his friend Gigi matures, however, he starts to see her as a possible love interest and must decide whether it is worth sacrificing his freedom for her charm.
Gigi's other awards included Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Musical Score, and Best Original Song.
The Last Emperor (1987) - 9
- Streaming now on HBO Max.
This 1986 epic biographical drama recounts the life of China's last emperor, Puyi. Though the film begins by showing his rise to power as a young boy, it ends with his imprisonment and restoration by the Communist Party.
The Last Emperor received overwhelmingly positive reviews, nabbing every Oscar it was nominated for at the 60th Academy Awards. These accolades include Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Screenplay Based On Material from Another Medium, and Best Director (Bernardo Bertolucci).
The English Patient (1996) - 9
- Streaming now on FuboTV.
The 1992 novel by Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient, was turned into a movie in 1996. Its big screen adaption was majorly successful, bringing home nine of the 12 Oscars it was nominated for including Best Picture, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Sound, Best Director (Anthony Minghella), and Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Juliette Binoche).
The romantic war drama tells of a man with severe burns who recounts his love story to the nurse who tends to him.
West Side Story (1961) - 10
- Streaming now on HBO Max.
This '60s version of Romeo and Juliet has two New York street gangs finding more reasons to hate each other after one of the members falls for the sister of a guy on the opposing side. Luckily for the creators of the musical romance, its appeal was large.
West Side Story brought home 10 of the 11 awards it was nominated for including Best Pictures, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Sound. Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins shared the Best Director title while Best Supporting Actor went to George Chakiris and Best Supporting Actress was given to Rita Moreno. The 1961 classic received a Steven Spielberg remake in 2021.
Titanic (1997) - 11
- Streaming now on Showtime.
The first of three films to bring home a total of 11 Academy Awards, including that of Best Picture, is the 1997 epic romance, Titanic. The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, tells of a rich girl and a poor artist who meet each other on the maiden voyage of the RMS Titanic in 1912. While their romance quickly ignites, they are soon faced with trouble after the unsinkable ship begins to go down.
James Cameron took home Best Director while the film was also awarded Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
Ben-Hur (1959) - 11
- Streaming now on HBO Max.
Years before Titanic was sweeping up eleven awards, the 1959 epic historical drama Ben-Hur managed to bring home 11 of the 12 Oscars it was nominated for. Ben-Hur tells of a Jew who is subjected to severe persecution from the Romans in Jerusalem during AD 26. However, his chance at revenge lies on the horizon, one of the best gladiator films of all time.
Though the film lost for Best Adapted Screenplay to Room at the Top, it scored Best Picture, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration — Color, Best Cinematography — Color, Best Special Effects, Best Costume Design — Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music — Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, and Best Sound Recording. Additionally, William Wyler went home with Best Director, Charlton Heston scored Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Hugh Griffith went away with Best Actor in a Supporting Role.
The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003) - 11
- Streaming now on HBO Max.
The third and final Lord of the Rings installment entered the 76th Academy Awards in 2004 with eleven award nominations. It won every single category it had been nominated for, including that of Best Picture.
The epic conclusion to the fantasy series has Frodo and Sam reach Mordor, where they plan to rid of the one ring. Meanwhile, Aragon prepares his army for a battle against Sauron and his evil followers. Peter Jackson scored Best Director, while the film also received Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Film Editing, and Best Visual Effects.