The Top 25 Best Picture Winners So Far (Updated for 2026)

Well, a sad moment has arrived today. All good things must unfortunately come to an end, and we’ve reached the end of this series. A new one will start soon (probably), but first, a final reminder. Yes, this is a tradition I’ve been keen on for years, ranking the new crop of Academy Award winners. For nearly all of the Oscar categories, you’ll see me list the top 25 recipients of that prize. Sometimes, our newest winner will appear. Other times, they’ll be relegated to the Honorable Mention category. Who knows, maybe one or two won’t even make the cut? It’s a list series that I’ll do each and every single year, in the weeks after the ceremony concludes. So, while this is a fun way to think about the Oscars in the aftermath of the latest telecast, it’s also a beginning for another column here on the site. Of course, definitely show us your own lists as well, in the comments section below. We’re definitely keen to know what you think!

It’s all come down to this…Best Picture. The big one. Any Oscar ceremony, barring the last one, wraps up with this massive category. Historically, my favorite films of any given year are not what win Best Picture at the Oscars, but occasionally, it does happen. Argo and Spotlight are two such examples. In terms of the best winners of this Academy Award, I think the upper echelon includes Annie Hall, The Apartment, Parasite, Schindler’s List, and The Silence of the Lambs. Not far behind are the likes of American Beauty, Casablanca, The Departed, The Hurt Locker, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Rocky, and obviously plenty more (including the aforementioned Argo and Spotlight). Where did I place Nomadland today as compared to five years ago? What about another prior recent Picture winner in CODA, four years ago? Does Everything Everywhere All At Once remain in a good spot after three years? Now, we have Oppenheimer two years on, as a new Christopher Nolan film is on all our minds as a potential frontrunner this year. Plus, where does Anora move to after debuting last year? Of course, the big new addition is Paul Thomas Anderson‘s One Battle After Another. Where does it land? Find out below, of course, though it begins in a very strong position, as you might imagine. Read on for the results, but also be sure to chime in as well…

Here now are what I consider to be the 25 best winners of the Oscar for Best Picture, to date:

25. CODA
24. Platoon
23. The Godfather
22. The Godfather Part II
21. On the Waterfront
20. Everything Everywhere All At Once
19. Moonlight
18. American Beauty
17. No Country for Old Men
16. Million Dollar Baby
15. Oppenheimer
14. The Departed
13. One Battle After Another
12. Spotlight
11. Annie Hall
10. Argo
9. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
8. Anora
7. The Hurt Locker
6. Casablanca
5. The Apartment
4. Rocky
3. Schindler’s List
2. Parasite
1. The Silence of the Lambs

Honorable Mentions: All About Eve, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Deer Hunter, Forrest Gump, The French Connection, Kramer vs Kramer, Marty, Midnight Cowboy, Ordinary People, and Rain Man

Stay tuned for all of our Oscar season coverage here at Awards Radar!