‘Sinners’ Could Rival the Most Acclaimed Films in Oscars History in 2026
The 98th Academy Awards are set to be held on Sunday night, and one film has the opportunity to make Oscar history.
Ryan Coogler's transcendent horror film "Sinners" has been nominated in a record-breaking 16 categories, giving it the opportunity to be the most decorated film in the near 100-year history of the Academy Awards.
Sinners received near universal acclaim from audiences and critics alike, but only a few films in Oscar history have even had the chance to enter this rarified air. With "Sinners" set to take its place in Oscar history, here are some of the most decorated films in the ceremony's long tradition of awarding the best in film.
'Ben-Hur,' 'Titanic' Set Legendary Standard
For nearly four decades, one film stood alone as the pinnacle of excellence when it comes to the oscars. 1959's sprawling epic "Ben-Hur" won 11 awards that year, and the film was also nominated in 12 out of a possible 15 categories.
"Ben-Hur" won the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Cinematography among others. Its place in the pantheon of legendary Oscar-winning films stood unchallenged until the release of "Titanic."
In 1997, the film chronicling one of the world's most famous disasters matched "Ben-Hur" with 11 wins of its own. Titanic would also win best picture and James Cameron earned the award for "Best Picture," but the film was seen as a technical marvel.
The disaster film earned awards for visual effects, sound and editing. Legendary singer Celine Dion won Best Original Song and the award for Record of the Year at the Grammys, becoming one of eight artists in history to accomplish the feat.
"Ben-Hur" and "Titanic" were each matched in 2003 by "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King," the final installment in Peter Jackson's trilogy of films based on J.R.R. Tolkien's classic novels.
'Return of the King' Becomes a Modern Classic
"Return of the King" earned 11 awards at the Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for Jackson. Much like "Titanic" before it, "Return of the King" was praised for its special and visual effects work, as well as its sound design and score.
The film won all eleven awards it was nominated for, becoming the largest sweep in the ceremony's history. Previous films had won all of their nominations, but no movie has done so with the amount of awards since "Return of the King" won 11 at the 76th Academy Awards.
"Ben-Hur" received acclaim for its scale and the performances within, while "Titanic" and "Return of the King" were praised for their technical impressiveness and the collective work of the entire cast and crew.
This year, "Sinners" is nominated across the disciplines of acting, sound design, special effects, music and direction. With more opportunities to win and a sense of general acclaim in each of those categories, "Sinners" could be the film that breaks the record for Oscar wins in a single year.
Fans can tune in on Sunday evening to see if "Sinners" breaks the all-time Oscar record by tuning into the 98th Academy Awards on ABC and Hulu at 7PM ET and 4PM PT.