The 96th Academy Awards is knocking at the door with merely a few hours left for celebrities to rejoice in the event and take home the most coveted award in the entertainment industry. This year, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is the biggest contender of the night, with the most number of nominations to its name.
Previously, just like Oppenheimer, the fantasy genre movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King once dominated the Academy Awards with the most number of nominations. Breaking records with 11 Oscar wins, despite being a fantasy movie, The Lord of the Rings got associated with two films from wildly different genres —Titanic and Ben-Hur, for winning equal number of Academy Awards.
The Lord of the Rings Once Dominated the Oscars
Just like Oppenheimer is dominating the 2024 Oscars, the history of Academy Awards has witnessed a similar record-breaking performance from the third film in the fantasy franchise of The Lord of the Rings. Residing in pride with a total of 11 nominations, Peter Jackson’s 2003 movie, made history during the 76th Academy Awards.
According to reports from Wion, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King – the third film from Peter Jackson’s trilogy, was nominated for a total of 11 categories. Based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, the 2003 movie made history by taking home all the 11 Oscars that it was nominated for. Becoming the first and only time a fantasy film to win an Oscar for Best Picture, The Lord of the Rings set the records straight.
Winning in the categories including Director, Adapted Screenplay, Editing, and Set Decoration, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, made history that night. However, Peter Jackson’s movie wasn’t the only film so far that took home 11 Oscars for multiple categories. James Cameron’s Titanic and William Wyler’s Ben-Hur are the two other films that earned an equal number of Oscars.
Ben-Hur and Titanic Made the Record for the Most Wins
Much like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, James Cameron‘s 1997 romantic epic Titanic which is often known for its tear-jerking storytelling and remarkable cinematography, won several Oscars. Receiving 14 nominations in different categories at the 70th Academy Awards, Cameron’s movie took home 11 Oscars.
Breaking records with the classic tale of unfulfilled romance between Leonardo DiCaprio’s Jack and Kate Winslet‘s Rose, Titanic took home Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Score, Visual Effects, and others. Set in the backdrop of the devastating sinking ship, the movie etched its name in the history of cinema.
Quite similar to the record-breaking performance of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King and Titanic, William Wyler’s 1959 movie Ben-Hur was apparently the first film to receive 12 nominations. Out of its 12 Oscar nods, the movie won a total of 11 Golden Statues and became a triumph in the genre of historical drama. Winning in major categories such as Best Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, and Cinematography, Ben-Hur broke records at the 32nd Academy Awards.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) is available on Max.
Titanic (1997) is available for purchase on Apple TV.
Ben-Hur (1959) is available for purchase on Apple TV.
