The 10 Best Picture Oscar Winners With The Highest Rotten Tomatoes Scores

Ahead of the nominations for The Oscars 2025, it seems like an appropriate time to look back at the 10 Best Picture winners with the highest scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Interestingly, the Best Picture category is the only one to receive 10 nominations, rather than the standard five, across all 23 categories. With the broad scope of talent in 2024, it is difficult to predict which film at the 2025 Oscars ceremony could be the strongest contender to come out on top. That being said, the PGA nominees for Best Motion Picture make the Best Picture race a little clearer.

It is safe to say the past century has seen a surge in high-quality films. Since the ceremony began in 1929, not all the Best Picture winners have performed well financially. This has little impact on their cultural standing in history, as of all 96 winners, over half of them have a critics rating of 90% or above on Rotten Tomatoes. These films are equally popular with the public as they are with the Academy. The list of the Best Picture winners ranked by Tomatometer highlights how many incredible titles have been awarded with the accolade.

10 Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

98% On Rotten Tomatoes

The 1927 motion picture, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans is the tenth highest-rated Best Picture winner, with 98% on the Tomatometer. It tells a rather simple story of a husband's betrayal, and his affair with a girl from the city. The movie begins with a dreamlike depiction of rural life, and gradually moves to portray the bustling life of a latter-day American city.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans is a production by F.W. Murnau, who had created the 1922 Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, prior to this. For this reason, Sunrise is associated with 20th century German Expressionism. However, it was for this reason that the final result was a commercial flop. Critics argued that Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans was contradictory, as it moved the nuanced expressionist style into a big scale, Hollywood production. That being said, it has found its standing as a classic today in spite of not recuperating its costs.

9 All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)

98% On Rotten Tomatoes

All Quiet on the Western Front follows a group of German schoolboys who are enlisted at the beginning of the First World War at the hands of their teacher. The film is told through the lens of the young German recruits, and it focuses its efforts on highlighting the tragedies of war. The 1930 production is the original version, and is based on a semi-autobiographical novel by Erich Maria Remarque.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a major achievement for wartime films, and it went onto win five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. In recent years, All Quiet on the Western Front was adapted for the screen in 2022, and was directed by Edward Berge. Although it did not receive as many accolades, the modern picture did win an Academy Award for Best Production Design and Best International Feature.

8 Rebecca (1940)

98% On Rotten Tomatoes

The 1940 film Rebecca is Alfred Hitchcock's only Best Picture winner at the Academy Awards. It also marks Hitchcock's first American film, and currently sits at 98% on the Tomatometer. Rebecca delivers a stirring atmosphere and spellbinding tension, which brings Hitchcock's legendary status as the master of suspense to fruition. The story is detailed, and tells of a young woman who marries a widower, only to discover his former wife, Rebecca, had a rather mysterious death years earlier.

The movie opened to critical and commercial success, and received eleven nominations at the Academy Awards, surpassing any other film that year. In 2018, Rebecca became one of the films recognized by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," as it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

7 It Happened One Night (1934)

98% On Rotten Tomatoes

It Happened One Night was released in 1934, and was directed by Frank Capra — who later went onto direct the renowned feature, It's a Wonderful Life.Capra's acclaimed romantic comedy is some of his best work, and has been the inspiration for many films within the same genre. The movie features a lady who marries a pilot in an act of rebellion against her father.

It Happened One Night is a crowning achievement at the Academy Awards, as it became the first of only three movies to ever win all five major categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Actress, and Best Screenplay. The film was an immediate commercial success thanks to the performances of its lead actors. The enduring popularity of It Happened One Night is owed to the comedic nature brought to life by the cast, in addition to their on-screen chemistry.

6 Schindler's List (1993)

98% On Rotten Tomatoes

Schindler's List is arguably one of the greatest movies ever made. Without a doubt, the epic historical drama is Steven Spielberg's magnum opus and was a defining moment in the director's professional career. The movie depicts a number of real historical figures, and tells the story of how Oskar Schindler rescued over 1,000 individuals from Nazi execution during the Second World War.

The movie will remain a turning point in the historical narrative of the Holocaust, as the narrative inspired many survivors to tell their own story.

Although Schindler's List won the Best Picture category at the 66th Academy Awards, there was a lot of discourse surrounding the Best Supporting Actor, where Ralph Fiennes lost for his portrayal of Amon Goth in Schindler's List. Not only was Schindler's List the first win in the Best Director category for Spielberg, but it earned over $300 million at the box office. While this is significant, Schindler's List will remain to be remembered for itsrelevance in history. The movie will remain a turning point in the historical narrative of the Holocaust, as the narrative inspired many survivors to tell their own story.

5 Moonlight (2016)

98% On Rotten Tomatoes

Moonlight joins the list of films with a 98% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The 2016 film, brought to the screen by A24, shows the three crucial stages in Chirton's life as he ventures on the journey to manhood. Barry Jenkins directed the piece, and Moonlight is a pivotal account of African-American life, which is too rarely featured in cinema. The movie is groundbreaking and won three Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and the Best Supporting Actor win for Mahershala Ali.

Notably, Moonlight was the first film with an all-Black cast to win Best Picture. Unfortunately, one of the most recognizable moments for Moonlight at the Oscars was the confusion around the announcement for Best Picture. In the final moments of the ceremony, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway declared La La Land as the winner of Best Picture, before it was revealed this was incorrect. The cast of Moonlight swiftly came onto stage to accept the award.

4 On the Waterfront (1954)

99% On Rotten Tomatoes

On the Waterfront stars the famed actor of the 20th century, and acts as one of the movies that defined Marlon Brando's career. On the Waterfront earned Brando his first Oscar award, and won for Best Picture, too. The supporting cast help build the appeal of On the Waterfront, but ultimately, it is Brando who brings this film to life. It has been said that Brando redefined the cinematic landscape, and the 1954 film is one of the greatest instances of this.

The crime drama is still incredibly poignant today, and centers around a crisis of conscience in a world fraught with violence and corruption. The incredibly powerful feature by Elia Kazan was re-released to theaters in April 2024. The 4K digital restoration was put together by Columbia Pictures to celebrate its 70th anniversary.

3 All About Eve (1950)

99% On Rotten Tomatoes

All About Eve is the 23rd movie to win the Best Picture award at the Academy Awards, and has a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. All About Eve is reputable for breaking records at the ceremony, with four female acting nominees — an accomplishment that is unmatched, even today. In total, the film received six awards across multiple categories. However, the film omitted recognition of the original short story writer, Mary Orr.

The Hollywood classic revolves around a venerated Broadway star and an aspiring star who sets out to destroy her professional career and personal relationships. All About Eve delighted critics during its release in 1950. The film offers a refreshing feminist perspective for a film of its time, and All About Eve's main cast stars the beloved Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, and George Sanders.

2 Casablanca (1942)

99% On Rotten Tomatoes

Casablanca is one of the most illustrious pieces of cinema in Hollywood history, and is an undisputed masterpiece in story and performance. Casablanca is a tale of romance and has only become more treasured in the years following its release. This is, in part, owed to the captivating performances of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The intricate story follows a man confronted with his former lover, seeking his help as she flees the Nazi reign with her new partner.

The movie has had a momentous impact, but it is the dialogue in Casablanca that serves as it's defining characteristic. There have been discussions about a sequel or remake to Casablanca in the past, but these ideas have never materialized. This is an increasingly positive outcome, as it would be difficult to recreate the magic of Casablanca following its lasting legacy.

1 Parasite (2019)

99% On Rotten Tomatoes

Parasite astounded audiences in 2019, where it quickly became a favorite for both audiences and critics alike. Bong Joon-ho's film offers political commentary through dark humor and themes that create a masterclass in suspense. Parasite tells of the relationship between a wealthy family and an impoverished one, where greed and discrimination are central themes.

Parasite won four Academy Awards, and became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture.

The film was praised for providing an in-depth look into a number of timely social themes, and the incredibly strong performances from the entire cast of Parasite. Consequently, Parasite won four Academy Awards, and became the first non-English language film to win Best Picture.

With a remarkably modest budget of only $11.4 million, Parasite surpassed the $200 million mark at the global box office. Not only is the feature the director's highest-grossing release, Parasite immediately became the most streamed foreign-language film on Hulu, according to IndieWire.

Source: IndieWire

Oscars

Location: Los Angeles, CA
Dates: March 2, 2025
Network: ABC
Website: https://www.oscars.org/

The Oscars, also known as The Academy Awards, is an annual awards show celebrating workers in the film industry for their artistic and technical abilities. The Oscars are often considered the most prestigious awards show in the industry and date back to 1929. The 96th Academy Awards will be held on March 10, 2024, and be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC.

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