Being a winner at theOscarsdoesn’t always mean being a winner in theaters. Though some films have had the honor of receiving the Academy Award for Best Picture, these films haven’t always made a lot at the box office. Sometimes, they just don’t appeal to enough casual moviegoers as they do with critics. In fact, someBest Picture winners at the Oscarseven lost money after bombing in theaters.
Afterdirector Sean Baker’sAnorawon the Best Picture award at the2025 Oscars, this motion picture became one of the lowest-grossing films to ever win in that category. However, there are many other Best Picture winners that made a lot less in theaters, at least compared to more modern movies. This doesn’t mean that they were box office failures, as some still succeeded in making a profit. Whether or not they made their money back, there have been some movies that won Best Picture but didn’t make nearly as much money as the winners of recent years.
10All About Eve (1950)
Box Office: $8,402,507
Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, this cinema classic follows an actor who fears for her career when a young fan enters her life and threatens to take her spotlight. Since it stars big-screen legends Bette Davis and Anne Baxter,All About Evedrew in quite a crowd when it premiered in theaters in 1950.
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This year proved to be one full of surprises for the Oscars, whether it was Anora becoming the underdog veteran by bringing home almost all of its major nominations, or Wicked failing to win in any of the musical categories. For me, though, I think the biggest surprise has to be that Flow brought home the Best Animated Feature Film award. That’s not to say I didn’t think the movie was deserving of the trophy, nor that the expected Inside Out 2 deserved it more than the cat-focused film, but more that both The Wild Robot and Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl felt like they were going to be the underdogs that brought home the win.
This allowed the film to make back its budget at the box office with a reported $8,402,507 gross (viaThe Numbers). It also appealed to the masses with its relevant message about how women are valued based on their youth in a male-dominated Hollywood, similar toBest Picture nomineeThe Substance. For this reason,All About Evehas remained a timeless hit classic in the decades since its premiere.
9Gentleman’s Agreement (1947)
Box Office: $7,800,000
This film shows actor Gregory Peck playing a journalist who pretends to be Jewish to research an article on antisemitism within American society. Given how it tackles prejudicesimilar toThe Brutalist, another nominee for Best Picture, it’s no surprise that it was such a hit in theaters and at the Oscars when it premiered in 1947.Gentleman’s Agreementis said to have grossed at least $7,800,000 in cinemas, nearly four times as much as its $2,000,000 budget (viaThe Numbers).
8Gigi (1958)
Box Office: $7,300,000
Gigitells the musical and comedic story of a teenage girl raised to be a courtesan who pursues true love in actor Leslie Caron’s second Best Picture-winning film. For decades, it also held the record for the highest number of Academy Awards won in a clean sweep, winning all of its nine nominations. Making a profit with a reported minimum gross of $7.3 million (viaThe Numbers),Gigimade it among the last great musicals produced by MGM.
7An American In Paris (1951)
Box Office: $7,000,000
Starring musical icons Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron, this song-and-dance rom-com stirred up quite a success in theaters. Presenting the hectic love story of two friends infatuated with the same woman,An American in Parispresented another traditional but iconic romance featuring songs by composer George Gershwin. ThisGene Kelly filmis said to havemade over $7 million at the box officeafter a production that cost $2.7 million(viaThe Eddie Mannix Ledger). After it received the Oscar for Best Picture, An American in Paris established itself as one of thebest musicals of all time.
6Rebecca (1940)
Box Office: $6,002,370
Though the legendaryAlfred Hitchcock never won an Oscar, 1940’sRebeccawas the first and only film directed by Hitchcock that won the Oscar for Best Picture. This romantic, Gothic thriller hooked audiences with Hitchcock’s trademark brand of suspense, presenting a gripping story of a woman who weds a wealthy man whose previous marriage is shrouded in mystery.
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With an iconic Hollywood director at the helm andrenowned lead stars Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine,Rebeccamade just over $6 million at the box office after being made on a reported $1,2800,000 budget (viaThe Numbers). WhileRebeccaisn’t one of Hitchcock’s most popular films over 80 years later, it certainly ranks among his best pictures.
5The Great Ziegfield (1936)
Box Office: $4,673,000
As a biopic about Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfield Jr. and the making of the Ziegfield Follies, MGM went all out with the making of this movie, making it one of the studio’s most expensive productions back in the day. Nevertheless, this exuberant musical drama became one of MGM’s most successful movies at the time of its release. Starring Hollywood legends Jimmy Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner,The Great Ziegfieldwowed audiences as it allegedly made $4,673,000 in theatersafter being made on a $2.183 million budget (viaThe Eddie Mannix Ledger).
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With such a successful theatrical run,An American in Parisdidn’t just launch Caron’s Hollywood career. It also became the first Best Picture winner created byGigidirector Vincente Minnelli. On top of that,An American in Pariswon five more Oscars out of a total of eight nominations, making it one of the most acclaimed musicals of Old Hollywood.
4The Broadway Melody (1929)
Box Office: $4,358,000
The Broadway Melodymade cinema history as the first musical produced by MGM and Hollywood’s first musical to utilize sound. Thanks to such innovation,The Broadway Melodywent above and beyond its $379,000 budget, as it reportedly made almost $4.4 million in theaters (viaThe Numbers). Ultimately,The Broadway Melodybecame the first musical to win Best Picture at the Oscars, having won at the second Academy Awards.
3You Can’t Take It With You (1938)
Box Office: $4,000,000
You Can’t Take It With Youdepicts the son of a snobby banker who falls in love with a woman from a more eccentric but loving family. It’s the traditional rom-com setup, but one that was very successful in its time. Not only was this the second Frank Capra film that won Best Picture at the Oscars, it also won Capra the award for Best Director for the fourth time in his career. Filmed on a $1,644,000 budget,You Can’t Take It With Youbecame another success story for Capra as it allegedly grossed $4,000,000 at the box office (viaThe Numbers).
2CODA (2021)
Box Office: $2,237,618
CODAbroke new ground with its story of a teenager who tries to fulfill her dreams while supporting her deaf family as the only one who can hear.CODAreportedly made $2,237,618 in theaters worldwide against its $10,000,000 budget (viaThe Numbers). While the film’s box office gross is low, it can be attributed to its limited theatrical release before it was dropped onto streaming on Apple TV+. This madeCODAthe first film produced and/or distributed by a streaming service to win the Oscar for Best Picture, as well as the first film starring predominantly deaf actors to win in that category.
1Cimarron (1931)
Box Office: $1,383,000
Cimarronwas the fourth-ever film in Academy Awards' history to win the Oscar for Best Picture. Though the film made $1.383 million at the box office, it failed to make back its reported $1.433 million budget (viaHistorical Journal of Film, Radio and Television). Though it was hardly a success for RKO Films and hasn’t quite resonated with audiences a century later,Cimarronstill set a milestone in Old Hollywood as the first Western film to win Best Picture.
Source:Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television,The Numbers,The Eddie Mannix Ledger
Cimarron
Cast
Cimarron, released in 1931, follows Yancey Cravat, a versatile pioneer who claims land in Oklahoma during the territory’s opening for settlement. He quickly rises as a prominent figure in Osage, while his wife, Sabra, assumes her own leadership role as Yancey repeatedly departs, seeking new frontiers.
