Best Picture Oscar Winners Of The 21st Century, Ranked

Universal Pictures

Whenever different Oscars ceremonial comes and goes, movie fans crossed nan globe either observe nan organization nickname of their favourite movies of nan twelvemonth aliases earnestly mobility nan judgement of nan Academy. Will those honored by nan Best Actor and Best Actress trophies spot their performances guidelines nan trial of time? Did Best Director spell to nan astir deserving filmmaker? Did nan Best Picture victor genuinely gain nan prize? There's only 1 measurement to find out.

Best Picture winners property pinch chaotic unpredictability. Some are hailed arsenic instant, revolutionary classics successful nan infinitesimal and later dismissed arsenic overhyped aliases softly forgotten entirely. Meanwhile, others are denounced nan very evening they return nan stage. Taking a look backmost astatine caller history, we've classed each Best Picture victor of nan 21st period truthful far. Here, we'll not only find which films person fallen by nan wayside but observe those which stay nan champion of nan best.

Lionsgate

"Crash's" Best Picture upset successful 2005 is truthful infamous and derided that not moreover head Paul Haggis thinks it was genuinely amended than its competition. Through this activity that sets retired to tackle racism (in nan astir self-important measurement possible), he ironically betrays a basal misunderstanding of nan issue, reducing it to harmful connection and individual actions (much easier for nan Academy to digest than a superior confrontation pinch nan organization and systemic quality of racism successful America). It's for illustration a Bizarro-world type of "The Wire."  

Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" was nan clear and celebrated favourite going in, and is still remembered arsenic 1 of nan century's landmark movies. Haggis' cringe-inducing morality communicative has been mercifully forgotten extracurricular of its Oscars victory. "Crash" was nominated for six Oscars total, including a Best Supporting Actor motion for Matt Dillon. His capacity arsenic a corrupt but analyzable (by this movie's standards) constabulary serviceman is admittedly 1 of nan much defensible aspects of nan film, arsenic are nan performances of nan remainder of nan starring ensemble.

Universal Pictures

The Weinstein Company

The astir memorable point astir "The King's Speech" is its R rating. Elevated by a genuinely beautiful capacity from Colin Firth, it's different a safe humanities play that pales adjacent to its title — successful peculiar David Fincher's "The Social Network," which it hit successful aggregate cardinal categories including Best Director and Best Actor. 

Firth beating Jesse Eisenberg tin astatine slightest beryllium contextually explained — Hooper beating immoderate audacious, career-best activity from established board for illustration Darren Aronofsky ("Black Swan"), and nan Coen Brothers ("True Grit") has ever been a small difficult to swallow. While nan tight, psychological thriller astir Mark Zuckerberg feels much insightful, prescient, and useful arsenic he and tech overlords of his ilk amass power, "The King's Speech" was ever evident Oscar-bait aiming for nan low-hanging consequence of satisfying aged Academy voters.

Warner Bros.

Ben Affleck's loose attack to history successful "Argo" becomes much damning by nan year. Yes, nan movie proved nan character was arsenic technically skilled a head arsenic almost anyone moving successful Hollywood. That doesn't alteration nan truth that his movie stands coming arsenic a jingoistic and unforgivable (if unwitting) puff portion for nan CIA that valorizes and ahistorically centers American operatives while demonizing Iranian citizens. 

Even erstwhile nan movie was first released, officials from nan Canadian authorities were concerned astir nan film's rewriting of history. If you deliberation nan film's effect is being overstated, you request only locomotion into nan celebrated International Spy Museum successful Washington, D.C., wherever Affleck's activity is prominently featured aggregate times to movie-wash nan CIA's shameful history successful Iran. 

Universal Pictures

Speaking of sanitized biopics — Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind" is by nary intends a bad film, but it's astatine astir nan third-best successful a people that included "Gosford Park," "The Lord of nan Rings: The Fellowship of nan Ring," and "Moulin Rouge!" It turns nan analyzable real-life mathematician John Nash (played by Russell Crowe) into a forgettable protagonist that nevertheless serves arsenic a reliable anchor for Oscar-bait dramas for illustration this. 

Crowe and his co-star (Best Supporting Actress-winner Jennifer Connelly) are nan only genuinely memorable aspects of nan film. Everything other — nan hazy, flattering arc of Nash boot-strapping schizophrenia, and nan irresponsibly unrealistic depiction of his intelligence unwellness wide — hardly registers arsenic noteworthy today. 

The Weinstein Company

Michel Hazanavicius' black-and-white silent movie "The Artist" is an undeniably endearing, unique, and audacious emotion missive to Hollywood. It's besides faded from position pinch nan very films that inspired it, offering small novelty beyond its presentation. 

It should surely beryllium acknowledged that, successful executing thing truthful complete, beautiful, and clear successful its storytelling, Hazanavicius displayed a level of method mastery that deserves to beryllium recognized and arguably remembered much than it presently is. At nan aforesaid time, the deficiency of existent liking successful an property wherever communities connected sites for illustration Letterboxd exist points toward nan Academy choosing style complete constituent successful this instance. Jean Dujardin's Best Actor triumph complete Gary Oldman ("Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy") has aged particularly poorly, and it exemplifies nan voting body's bias toward showy restraint complete nan genuine restraint of nan subtler activity seen successful different competitors for illustration "The Tree of Life" and "Hugo." 

Apple TV

"CODA's" Best Picture triumph was arguable among intermezo pundits. "The Power of nan Dog" was nan frontrunner going in, though location were besides those apprehensive astir either movie finally conceding nan apical prize to a streamer. As nan manufacture was reckoning pinch nan effect of COVID connected nan theatrical merchandise model, it felt for illustration an organization nonaccomplishment to galore who had been fighting for nan cultural, professional, and financial value of nan traditional, communal moviegoing experience. 

Putting that discourse aside, "CODA" still underwhelms compared to its competition. As saccharine arsenic coming-of-age stories come, it's besides each spot arsenic safe and predictable, and it has a reasonably contested estimation among non-hearing audiences captious of its climactic scene.

Warner Bros.

An statement could beryllium made that immoderate of nan 77th Best Picture Class could've won. "Million Dollar Baby" has immoderate passionate fans (like Stephen King), but to astir it's, for amended and for worse, a Clint Eastwood movie. It's efficient, effective, and respected, but not revolutionary extracurricular nan sports genre.  

The cardinal performances from Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman are genuinely award-worthy, and we're moreover consenting to concede that Eastwood's craftsmanship arsenic a filmmaker is truthful undeniable present that he deserved Best Director. At nan aforesaid time, their activity has to do a batch of dense lifting for Paul Haggis' screenplay. Like his book for "Crash," it's truthful attracted to simple, maudlin ideas that it sacrifices lasting psychological complexity. 

Miramax

Whether aliases not you for illustration "Chicago" comes down to whether aliases not you tin tummy movie musicals. The 2002 movie embraced nan subgenre successful a much literal and striking measurement than most, all while sidesplitting it astatine nan home container office. 

If you can't get swept up successful nan opus and creation of it all, it mightiness beryllium because nan satirical perspective "Chicago" offers connected fame feels little revelatory nan much we go saturated successful films and bid that research nan aforesaid idea. That said, nan eclectic philharmonic numbers and performances stay timeless — Renée Zellweger, John C. Reilly, Queen Latifah, and Catherine Zeta-Jones were each nominated for acting honors, pinch Zeta-Jones winning, and they genuinely make nan movie razzle dazzle. Richard Gere's omission successful Best Actor has agelong been considered a notable Academy snub, though location was apt nary beating Adrien Brody for "The Pianist." 

Searchlight Pictures

Chloé Zhao's pensive Best Picture-winner "Nomadland" is 1 of nan astir understated films to return location nan award. With a formed of mostly non-actors anchored by an expertly subtle starring capacity from Frances McDormand, it has an immersive value that justifies a challenging gait that mightiness put immoderate viewers off. 

Some whitethorn return rumor pinch conscionable really reserved McDormand is astatine times, but her Best Actress triumph still feels deserved. If there's immoderate serious, enduring disapproval to beryllium reasonably leveled astatine "Nomadland," it would beryllium its uneven engagement pinch nan unstable economical discourse of its story. One could besides argue, however, that Zhao's determination to foreground dream and humanity allows her movie to meaningfully adhd to nan agelong history of films that face poorness successful America.  

Searchlight Pictures

The captious reevaluation of Alejandro G. Iñárritu's "Birdman" has been quiet but notable. The arresting pace, humor, and performances of this Michael Keaton-led tragicomedy still clasp up highly well. Emmanuel Lubezki, nan cinematographer responsible for nan film's signature "one-take" style, besides won Best Cinematography — gimmick aliases not, his execution is undeniable. 

With each that being said, this self-examination of personage feels a small little psychologically compelling each year. While Keaton's characteristic is truthful afloat realized (and bolstered by nan meta-narrative of nan actor's parallel master trajectory), nan remainder of nan formed — peculiarly Riggan's daughter, played by Emma Stone — consciousness noticeably underwritten successful comparison. Overall, it's still astir intolerable not to get captured by nan power of "Birdman."

Neon

"Anora" divided audiences much than astir remember. To some, it was a amazingly hilarious yet biting and needfully humanizing look into nan lives of activity workers. But to others, it was jarring, uneven, and exploitative of nan group and occupation it claimed to uplift. 

At /Film, we thin toward nan erstwhile assessment, though nan disapproval from activity workers is captious to nan speech "Anora" intends to catalyze. If this is nan astir humanity this activity activity is ever afforded connected camera, nan film's fame could hardly beryllium considered meaningfully constructive. Dramatically, it's besides understandable that nan tonal shifts betwixt scenes of chaotic, almost slapstick beingness drama and genuinely upsetting affectional thumps (particularly nan film's challenging and somewhat arguable last scene) don't onshore for each audiences. 

Sean Baker's breakthrough from indie cinema to mainstream awards nickname should nevertheless beryllium celebrated, especially arsenic awesome Hollywood studios consolidate into, potentially, propaganda machines. Mikey Madison's capacity besides navigates nan astir difficult aspects pinch an enchanting fearlessness that yet deserved Best Actress.

DreamWorks Pictures

The Academy started disconnected nan caller millennium pinch a bang by awarding Best Picture to a crowd-pleasing epic that is still reasonably singular today. At nan very least, it's 1 of nan champion movies of Russell Crowe's career.  

Indeed, overmuch of nan brilliance of Ridley Scott's movie tin beryllium attributed to casting. Crowe fought difficult for that Best Actor win, beating retired Tom Hanks successful "Cast Away" pinch a physically demanding capacity that commands each azygous framework Scott captures him in. Meanwhile, his villain — nan almost cartoonishly evil Commodus — could've been rendered pinch laughable simplicity successful nan hands of immoderate character little skilled than Joaquin Phoenix. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor but mislaid to Benicio del Toro for "Traffic."

As awesome arsenic Crowe and nan formed are, however, this is besides Scott astatine his absolute champion arsenic a filmmaker. His blend of affectional gravity and expansive action group pieces almost single-handedly revived swords-and-sandals movies arsenic a viable blockbuster subgenre. 

Searchlight Pictures

Danny Boyle's entrancing "Slumdog Millionaire" is undeniably entertaining and well-made. It besides bears 1 of nan much analyzable legacies connected this list. 

At nan clip of its release, commentators described it negatively arsenic "poverty tourism," allowing American audiences to "immerse" themselves successful an easy digestible type of Indian slums. Boyle himself has conceded that, if nan movie were made today, he wouldn't beryllium nan correct filmmaker to show a communicative astir poorness successful nan country. 

Engaging solely pinch its merits arsenic a activity of entertainment, Boyle's vibrant rendering of nan communicative — led by a career-making capacity from Dev Patel — makes nan movie captivating, contempt its flaws. And let's not hide nan Oscar-winning people by A.R. Rahman, which masterfully blends philharmonic influences successful a mode that paved nan measurement for nan now-dominant activity of Ludwig Göransson.

A24

"Everything Everywhere All astatine Once" hasn't been retired agelong capable for a afloat captious reevaluation, but nan emotionally and stylistically unrestrained multiversal epic still packs a superior punch. It is by nary intends a subtle movie — it's besides not really trying to be. That's kinda okay pinch us, fixed really consistently it kicks butt for complete 2 hours.  

At worst, nan absurd visuals (hotdog fingers, everything bagels, rocks pinch googly eyes) tin consciousness disarming successful a measurement that will frustrate those trying to link pinch its deeper affectional throughline. There is immoderate credibility to nan statement that nan maximalist storytelling of The Daniels often conflicts pinch nan humanity of nan communicative they're trying to tell, arsenic is astir evident successful nan script's inclination toward emotionally literal dialogue. At nan aforesaid time, is location a statement much iconic from nan past 5 years than "In different life, I would person really liked conscionable doing laundry and taxes pinch you"? 

Throughout nan awards season, "Everything Everywhere All astatine Once" was, well, everywhere. It dominated nan Oscars successful peculiar pinch 11 nominations and 7 wins. 

Summit Entertainment

Certainly nan champion Kathryn Bigelow movie of nan period truthful far, "The Hurt Locker" maintains its position arsenic a standard-bearer for nan warfare subgenre. It's well-deserved, fixed Bigelow's careful, conscious introspection of American soldiers fighting successful Iraq. 

There are akin issues coming to those recovered successful "Argo." Centering nan acquisition of American soldiers successful Iraq without confronting nan illegality of nan penetration aliases nan humanity of Iraqis is morally and dramaturgically wrong. However, a lawsuit tin beryllium made for "The Hurt Locker" that nan specificity of its communicative purpose — which is yet to distill nan oft-ignored psychological toll of warfare — justifies its reductive scope. 

"The Hurt Locker" tied pinch "Avatar" pinch 9 nominations each — nan erstwhile movie walked distant pinch six wins. It was a historical nighttime for nan industry, pinch Bigelow not only becoming nan first female to nonstop a Best Picture-winning movie but nan first female to triumph Best Director arsenic well. 

New Line Cinema

"The Lord of nan Rings: The Return of nan King" could beryllium based on arsenic nan top trilogy finale successful nan history of film. It's an epic of nan highest bid pinch groundbreaking ocular effects that proceed to clasp up connected nan whole. Whether it won connected its ain steam aliases successful acknowledgement of nan trilogy arsenic a whole, it much than deserved its crown. 

By our count, "Return of nan King" still holds nan grounds for nan biggest cleanable expanse successful Oscars history. It won each 11 awards it was nominated for, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. It's tied for astir wins pinch nan original "Ben-Hur" and "Titanic," while "Sinners" precocious shattered nan grounds for nominations by earning 16 successful 2026. 

Searchlight Pictures

Guillermo del Toro's "The Shape of Water" is simply a spot strange. It's really not moreover nan champion del Toro movie to beryllium nominated for an Oscar, nor was it decisively nan apical of its ain Best Picture class. 

In a twelvemonth of remarkably beardown competition, nan statement remains that "Get Out" aliases "Call Me By Your Name" deserved nan grant — and, indeed, some would've placed higher connected this list. But pinch each that being true, del Toro's singular romanticist fairy communicative is simply a masterpiece each spot arsenic intolerable to shingle arsenic it was successful 2017. 

Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones are simply magic together, dancing their measurement done a world that makes imagination consciousness grounded and emotionally tangible. The discourse of nan film's title speaks to nan spot of some that circumstantial Oscars people and nan director's filmography arsenic a whole. 

Warner Bros.

Like "The Shape of Water," "The Departed" is acold from nan pinnacle of Martin Scorsese's filmography, contempt being nan movie that yet collapsed his Oscars curse. Even so, it's rightfully regarded arsenic 1 of nan century's champion movies. 

"The Departed" only mislaid 1 grant astatine nan 2007 Oscars — though pinch some Alan Arkin ("Little Miss Sunshine") and Eddie Murphy ("Dreamgirls") successful nan title for Best Supporting Actor, we're consenting to trim Mark Wahlberg immoderate slack. It's improbable moreover a near-miss astatine a expanse could dampen Scorsese's mood, arsenic he yet earned his first and only Best Director triumph that night.

Warner Bros.

The astir caller introduction connected this list, "One Battle After Another" was each astatine erstwhile nan astir basal movie of 2025, a marvel of storytelling that provoked each emotion 1 could imagine, and a clear opportunity for nan Academy to yet springiness Paul Thomas Anderson nan flowers he deserved. Despite coming successful 2nd successful nominations to nan record-breaking "Sinners," nan movie was overwhelmingly favored to triumph successful conscionable astir each 1 of nan 13 categories successful which it was nominated.

Anderson walked into nan theatre pinch nary Oscars and near pinch 3 — Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Teyana Taylor mislaid Best Supporting Actress to "Weapons" villain Amy Madigan, and Leonardo DiCaprio mislaid Best Actor to Michael B. Jordan. Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro competed against 1 different for Best Supporting Actor, pinch Penn yet winning successful absentia.

Open Road Films

While astir of nan reputations of astir Best Picture winners either clasp aliases falter, "Spotlight" has arguably go much effective. Its communicative astir nan efforts of a fewer tireless truth-seekers to expose horrific, systemic maltreatment was told pinch specified simple, cutting civilized clarity that it feels moreover much urgent today. 

"Spotlight" only won 1 different Oscar — Best Original Screenplay for McCarthy and Josh Singer. In a twelvemonth dominated by strong, flashy contenders for illustration "The Martian," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Revenant," and moreover "The Big Short" (with Adam McKay's intrusive visuals and fourth-wall-breaking communicative style), nan simplicity of "Spotlight" feels admirably defiant. It knew really important its communicative was and rightfully trusted nan formed and nan assemblage to pass and understand that truth respectively. 

Searchlight Pictures

"12 Years a Slave" remains a vitally jarring masterpiece. Many Academy Award-winning films declare to beryllium important, but nary are arsenic inherently truthful arsenic Steve McQueen's unyielding and expertly-told curriculum vitae of Solomon Northup (played successful nan movie by Chiwetel Ejiofor). 

Matthew McConaughey's capacity successful "Dallas Buyers Club" was strong, and it's a contender for his career-best against "True Detective," but it still feels for illustration nan Academy robbed Ejiofor. While astir over-acted Best Actor-winners look for illustration they want to execute nan enactment of "leaving it each connected nan frame," McQueen's movie demands specified visceral committedness for its star. It's undoubtedly 1 of nan astir needfully demanding roles of nan century, astatine nan very least. Lupita Nyong'o meets that effort successful her characteristic movie debut and earned a Best Supporting Actress triumph arsenic a result. 

McQueen himself became nan first Black filmmaker to triumph Best Picture. If it's shocking that that Academy didn't transverse that milestone earlier, you'll apt beryllium much shocked to study they still person yet to do truthful successful nan Best Director category.

Neon

Bong Joon-ho's "Parasite" has been hailed arsenic nan top movie of nan 21st century. It's a compelling and defensible argument, bolstered by its enduring intermezo worth and taste relevancy, arsenic good arsenic its unprecedented capacity astatine nan 92nd Oscars. From its group creation to nan names of its characters, each facet of nan movie is meticulously constructed to support Bong's cardinal statement astir people mobility. 

"Parasite" won 4 of nan six awards it was nominated for successful 2020. It proved nan Academy was tin of challenging its bias toward prestige and prominence to genuinely grant nan champion activity of nan year.

Universal Pictures

Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" is truthful effective successful its deconstruction of its cardinal figure's lasting effect connected nan world that it transcends nan humanities biopic subgenre into nan realm of psychological horror. Visually and narratively breathtaking pinch a stylistic touch that's unmistakably Nolan, it besides forces warfare and nan threat of atomic proliferation to nan halfway of modern American mythology.  

Between nan rapturous captious reception, the "Barbenheimer" taste phenomenon, and nan film's decisive capacity passim nan awards season, it was evident going into nan 96th Oscars that this would beryllium nan ceremonial that yet recognized Nolan arsenic 1 of nan greats. As of writing, it reasonably stands to beryllium remembered arsenic nan astir important movie of nan decade.  

A24

With an Oscars communicative unluckily overshadowed by a flub and some bittersweet humanities context, we'll ne'er discarded a infinitesimal to punctual readers really powerful "Moonlight" is. Barry Jenkins' coming-of-age play group a caller modular for nan subgenre, imbuing it pinch refreshing affectional complexity and general precision. 

Mahershala Al's portrayal of Juan, nan profoundly flawed father-figure who astir steals nan full film, is still 1 of nan champion performances of nan 2010s. His triumph for Best Supporting Actor cemented him arsenic nan year's biggest breakthrough talent and group him up to beryllium 1 of nan astir in-demand actors successful nan pursuing years. 

Miramax

Built connected nan unmistakable storytelling of Cormac McCarthy, an Academy Award-winning and career-defining move from Javier Bardem, and nan Coen Brothers' unimpeachable mastery of nan craft, "No Country for Old Men" is simply a haunting and thrilling neo-Western that stands alone. Its unexpected container agency success proved that audiences were fresh for nan dark, psychologically challenging activity it group retired to do, and it continues to beryllium endlessly dissected and devoured today. 

The Oscars communicative of "No Country for Old Men" has ever been told done its title pinch Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood." The films were tied pinch 8 nominations, and some were considered to beryllium not only career-best achievements from their respective filmmakers but instant classics that would surely beryllium remembered among nan century's top films (the second presumption has held true). Anderson walked distant empty-handed, while nan Coens took location Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Picture.