The Most Decorated Movie Franchises in Academy Award History

Ahead of the 98th Academy Awards, we rank the top-winning film franchises. From Middle-earth's 17 statues to the technical dominance of Star Wars and Mad Max.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 7:16 AM EDT

Source: Pubity

The Lord of the Rings: 17 Academy Awards

Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy remains the gold standard for franchise success at the Oscars, holding a total of 17 wins from 30 nominations. The franchise's performance peaked with the final installment, The Return of the King (2003), which achieved a historic clean sweep, winning all 11 categories in which it was nominated—including Best Picture and Best Director. This matched the single-film record held by Ben-Hur and Titanic. While the first two films, The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, primarily dominated technical and craft categories, the trilogy's overall haul remains unchallenged by any other modern film series.

Star Wars: 10 Academy Awards

The Star Wars franchise holds 10 Academy Awards, though its competitive winning streak is famously concentrated in the original trilogy. George Lucas’s 1977 debut changed the landscape of the awards, securing six competitive Oscars in categories like Original Score, Visual Effects, and Sound. The Empire Strikes Back added to this tally with a win for Best Sound. In the decades since, while all nine films in the "Skywalker Saga" have received nominations, the franchise’s recent recognition has largely shifted toward Special Achievement Awards, honoring the pioneering technical work that continues to define the series' legacy.

The Godfather: 9 Academy Awards

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy is one of the few franchises to see its sequels taken as seriously as its predecessor by the Academy. The series has earned 9 Oscars, with a unique distinction: both the first and second films won Best Picture, a feat rarely replicated in Hollywood history. The first two installments also secured wins for Best Adapted Screenplay, while the acting categories saw legendary wins for Marlon Brando (Best Actor) and Robert De Niro (Best Supporting Actor). Notably, while the third film received seven nominations, it was the only entry in the trilogy to leave the ceremony without a win.