The ten films that have won the most Academy Awards in history, ranked by total Oscars — from the record-breaking three-way tie at the top.
Quick answer: 1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), 2. Titanic (1997), 3. Ben-Hur (1959), 4. West Side Story (1961), 5. Gigi (1958), 6. The Last Emperor (1987), 7. The English Patient (1996), 8. Gone with the Wind (1939), 9. From Here to Eternity (1953), 10. On the Waterfront (1954).
Since the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929, only a handful of films have swept the Oscars with double-digit wins. Winning ten or more Academy Awards is a rare feat that requires near-unanimous support across multiple categories — picture, director, acting, screenwriting, and usually a sweep of the technical crafts. This list ranks the films with the most Academy Award wins of all time, counting every competitive Oscar the film received. Three movies share the all-time record of 11 Oscars, each from a different era: 1959's Ben-Hur, 1997's Titanic, and 2003's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King — the last of which is the only film to win every category it was nominated for (11 for 11).
Won all 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Director (Peter Jackson), and Best Adapted Screenplay — a perfect 11-for-11 sweep that remains unmatched. The film's clean run includes all three major acting categories it reached.
James Cameron's epic swept 11 Oscars from 14 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a record-tying 9 craft and technical categories. It was the first film to reach 11 wins since Ben-Hur.
William Wyler's chariot-racing epic won 11 Oscars from 12 nominations — a record that stood for 38 years. It swept every award for which it was nominated except Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film adaptation of the Broadway musical won 10 of its 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director (shared between Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins).
Vincente Minnelli's musical comedy won all 9 of its nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. It is the only film in Academy history to go 9-for-9 in competitive categories.
Bernardo Bertolucci's biopic of Puyi, the last Emperor of China, won all 9 of its Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Anthony Minghella's World War II romance won 9 Oscars from 12 nominations, dominating the 69th Academy Awards with Best Picture, Best Director, and a sweep of supporting categories.
The Civil War epic won 8 competitive Oscars (plus two honorary awards), including Best Picture and Best Actress (Vivien Leigh, with Hattie McDaniel winning Best Supporting Actress as the first African American Oscar winner).
Fred Zinnemann's World War II drama won 8 of 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Frank Sinatra), and Best Supporting Actress (Donna Reed).
Elia Kazan's dockyard drama won 8 of 12 nominations, sweeping Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Marlon Brando), Best Supporting Actress (Eva Marie Saint), and Best Screenplay.
| # | Name | Oscars won | Nominations | Year | Best Picture | Best Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) | 11 | 11 | 2003 | Yes | Yes |
| 2 | Titanic (1997) | 11 | 14 | 1997 | Yes | Yes |
| 3 | Ben-Hur (1959) | 11 | 12 | 1959 | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | West Side Story (1961) | 10 | 11 | 1961 | Yes | Yes |
| 5 | Gigi (1958) | 9 | 9 | 1958 | Yes | Yes |
| 6 | The Last Emperor (1987) | 9 | 9 | 1987 | Yes | Yes |
| 7 | The English Patient (1996) | 9 | 12 | 1996 | Yes | Yes |
| 8 | Gone with the Wind (1939) | 8 | 13 | 1939 | Yes | No |
| 9 | From Here to Eternity (1953) | 8 | 13 | 1953 | Yes | Yes |
| 10 | On the Waterfront (1954) | 8 | 12 | 1954 | Yes | Yes |
Films are ranked by their total number of competitive Academy Awards won (rank 1 = most Oscars). Ties are listed by year (oldest first). Only competitive Oscars are counted — honorary, special achievement, or technical achievement awards won by a person for work on a film (rather than the film itself) are excluded from the film's tally. Data comes from the official Academy Awards Database and the Wikipedia article 'List of films with the most Academy Awards.' Films that have been nominated for 10+ Oscars but won fewer are not on this list.
Three films share the record at 11 Oscars each: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Return of the King is the only one that won every category it was nominated for.
Three films have won 11 Oscars and two films — West Side Story (1961) and Gigi (1958) — have won 10. Only five films in 97 years of Academy history have reached double digits.
Yes — The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (11 for 11), Gigi (9 for 9), and The Last Emperor (9 for 9) are the only films that have swept every competitive category they were nominated in.
That's a different record, but among Best Picture winners, All About Eve (1950) holds the most nominations at 14 — of which it won 6.