20 films with many Oscar nominations but few wins

This is a nice way to ease into this list, given that “Return of the King” would eventually pick up 11 Oscars. The first movie in that trilogy actually surprised “Return of the King” in terms of nominations. “The Fellowship of the Ring” picked up a whopping 13 nominations, one short of the record. However, it only picked up four wins. The idea was that the voters might be waiting for the final movie to effectively “reward the trilogy.” Well, that is kind of how it played out, intentionally or not.

It’s strange for a David Fincher movie. Strange for any movie, really. “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” is a long, ponderous film about a man played by Brad Pitt who ages in reverse. It had a “prestige movie” and “Oscar bait” feel to it, and indeed Benny and friends picked up 13 nominations. However, the movie only took him three wins.

If you have never heard of “Johnny Belinda,” the way the Oscars played out may be part of that. Well, also the fact that the movie came out in 1948. A dark film, “Johnny Belinda” netted 12 Oscar nominations. It only got one win, but it was a notable one. Jane Wyman, right before she and Ronald Reagan divorced, won Best Supporting Actress.

“The Power of the Dog” was one of Netflix’s big Oscar swings. It looked like it was going to finally pay off. The movie got 12 nominations and was the early favorite to win Best Picture. Unfortunately for the film, this ended up being one of a couple “Nice things are nice” Oscar ceremonies in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. “CODA” took Best Picture, and “The Power of the Dog” only got one win, though it was Best Director for Jane Campion.

Being a Steven Spielberg film, “Lincoln” still has some cultural cache. It’s also a movie for which Daniel Day-Lewis won Best Actor. As such, you might think an Abraham Lincoln biopic with those big names involved was an Oscars success. In reality, the movie only got two wins out of 12 nominations.

“Joker” made a ton of money. That wasn’t surprising. It also generated tedious takes from all sides. Also, not surprising. What was a surprise is that a movie about a Batman villain got 11 nominations for the Academy Awards. It only took home two wins, although absurdly, it now stands as the movie for which Joaquin Phoenix finally won an Oscar.

A 163-minute epic from David Lean about white people in India is a very 1980s Oscar play. It did indeed pick up 11 nominations. Like “Joker” (this is the first time these two movies have been tied to one another), it only got two wins. One of them is notable. Peggy Ashcroft won Best Supporting Actress at the age of 77, which remains the record.

“Chinatown” is one of the first neo-noirs, or maybe one of the last entries into the film noir genre. Either way, it’s considered a classic of the style. “Chinatown” managed 11 Oscar nominations, but it only took home a single win. Forget it, “Chinatown.” It’s the Oscars.

We reach the peak of infamy, in a sense. Before Spielberg was delivering Oscar winners, he directed “The Color Purple.” The movie earned 11 nominations from the Academy. It picked up zero wins. Yes, zero. “The Color Purple” is tied for the most Oscar nominations without a victory.

The movie that “The Color Purple” is tied to? That would be 1977’s “The Turning Point.” To which you might say, “What movie?” Yeah, that’s kind of the point. It’s a ballet drama starring Shirley MacLaine and Anne Bancroft, and it too netted 11 nominations without a single win.

“Giant” is a quality ‘50s epic with quite a cast, including Rock Hudson and Elizabeth Taylor. Also, James Dean, who earned a posthumous Oscar nomination for what would prove to be his final movie. “Giant” earned 10 nominations, but the only win was for Best Director, which went to George Stevens.

“Airport” is a solid, if by-the-numbers, disaster movie of the days of yore. Helen Hayes, the “First Lady of American Theater” won an Oscar for Supporting Actress. If we were told that Hayes had earned the sole nomination for “Airport” in a career-achievement way, that would have made total sense. Instead, “Airport” actually earned 10 nominations with Hayes being the sole winner.

Henry VII and Anne Boleyn are well-worn territories, and that was already true by 1969. Of course, a British costume drama with notable names was always potentially in the mix for Oscar nominations. “Anne of the Thousand Days,” featuring Genevieve Bujold as Anne, tallied 10 Oscar nominations. It picked up a sole win, unsurprisingly, for Best Costume Design.

Oscar voters are fans of nominating Yorgos Lanthimos movies. Wins can be trickier to come by. “The Favourite,” for example, picked up 10 nominations from the Academy. It only won one, and that was a bit of a surprise. Olivia Colman upset Glenn Close to win Best Actress. If not for that, “The Favourite” would have been shut out.

“American Hustle” is one of 15 movies to receive an Oscar nomination in all four acting categories. It’s one of three movies to then win zero of those awards. In fact, “American Hustle” is also one of a handful of movies to earn double-digit nominations without a single victory.

We’re dipping under double-digit nominations, but there are still a couple of movies worth mentioning. “Heaven Can Wait,” for example. The movie earned nine Oscar nominations. Warren Beatty had four of them himself! He didn’t get a single win, though. The movie only earned one win out of its nine nominations, and that was for Best Art Direction.

We end with a reminder that even the most acclaimed and most venerated of directors aren’t guaranteed anything. “The Irishman” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” are both Martin Scorsese movies. They both earned 10 Oscar nominations. Combined, they won zero awards. Yes, two Scorsese films have earned double-digit nominations and won nothing. If it can happen to Marty, it can happen to any director.

The awards arc for "A Complete Unknown" could have given you whiplash. James Mangold's biopic of Bob Dylan was, well, a complete unknown, but then it hit theaters with a splash. Suddenly, it was a big awards player, even in the conversation for Best Picture. In that feel-good wake, the movie picked up eight nominations, including three for acting and Best Director. By Oscar night, everybody knew only Timothee Chalamet had any chance. When he lost to Adrien Brody, it was a lock that "A Complete Unknown" would go home with a complete and utter lack of Oscars out of those eight nominations. 

"Wicked" was one of three movies to get double-digit nominations for the 2024 Academy Awards. It was never considered a serious player in most categories, though. Not unlike "Lord of the Rings," with the knowledge that a second part was on the way in 2025, the sense was that voters would wait for that movie to hand out the big awards if it all turns out well, at least. "Wicked" got two wins, one for production design, and one for costume design.

After Oscar nominations came out, some were calling "Emilia Perez" the Best Picture favorite. That was based entirely on the fact the film got a whopping 13 nominations, which is in all-time territory. Then, the resurfacing of toxic tweets from star Karla Sofia Gascon didn't just tank the movie's Best Picture chances, it threatened to turn the whole thing into a superfund site. However, people's affinity for Zoe Saldana, and her handling of the awkward situation, allowed her to thread the needle. Also, "Emilia Perez" was a musical in a year with a bad crop of Best Original Song options. Thus, the movie avoided being shut out, but two wins off of 13 nominations outs "Emilia Perez" in the Pantheon of this category of movie.