Each year, theAcademy Awardsserve as a way to honor the best films that came out during the year immediately before. In particular, the Best Picture Oscar is one of the most celebrated categories as it represents the overall quality of the movie, not just any one aspect as many of the categories do. Thus, in general, the Best Picture winners are some of the most critically well-received movies of the year.
This is largely true with over half of the Oscars' Best Picture winners holding a 90% approval or higher rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Likewise, many of thepredicted nominees for the 2025 Oscarsare similarly highly rated. Currently,Anoralooks like the frontrunner, withConclaveas the top competition afterEmilia PerezandThe Brutalisthave come under fire for using AI. Despite the setbacks and controversy surrounding some of the 2025 hopefuls, each of them is notably highly rated. However,three past Best Picture winners are below the 60% “Rotten” mark.
3Cimarron (1931)
The 1931 Film Holds A 52% On Rotten Tomatoes
Cimarronis a 1931 historical epic film that spans several decades in the lives of Yancey and Sabra Cravat. The young couple move to Oklahoma in 1889 to take part in the land rush, but ultimately end up in Osage, where Yancey establishes a local newspaper. Throughout the years, their family grows, but Yancey leaves them several times for different reasons. Without him, Sabra continues running his business and caring for their children. By the movie’s end, Sabra has become the first woman in Oklahoma to be a member of Congress and is briefly reunited with her husband before his death.
Interestingly,at the time of its release,Cimarronwas very highly regarded by critics. Despite being made during the Great Depression, RKO Pictures invested over $1.5 million in the film, and, unsurprisingly,Cimarrondid not make that money back. Though many audiences could not afford to see the movie, critics felt that it was well-directed and well-acted, so it is not too surprising thatCimarronwon Best Picture.
Beyond the very obvious criticism of the film’s depiction of Indigenous Americans, modern audiences dislike the somewhat nonsensical plot which sees Sabra stay with her husband despite his constant disappearances.
The reason thatCimarron’s critics' score is so low on Rotten Tomatoes is due to modern reassessment of the film. Modern critics and audiences have stated thatCimarronis both racist and does not make sense. Beyond the very obvious criticism of the film’s depiction of Indigenous Americans, modern audiences dislike the somewhat nonsensical plot which sees Sabra stay with her husband despite his constant disappearances. Overall,Cimarronhas not aged well.
2The Greatest Show On Earth (1952)
The Movie Also Won The Oscar For Best Story
The second-lowest rated Best Picture winner is 1952’sThe Greatest Show on Earthat 50%. The movie follows Ringling Bros. Circus and the lives of some of the performers in the show, notably the manager, two trapeze artists, and a clown. Confusingly, Jimmy Stewart plays Buttons the clown who is also a doctor wanted for mercy killing one of his patients. However, his medical skills do come in handy throughout the movie when several characters are injured, meaning he ultimately saves the day.
The Greatest Show on Earthwas also nominated for three Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director - Motion Picture, and Best Cinematography - Color, and it won all three.
Unsurprisingly, some critics at the time felt the plot was not very strong, but in general, it was fairly well received due to its grandiose sets and the performances of real circus members, which enhanced the film’s authenticity. The film likely won Best Picture because of the positive aspects of the performances and scale of the production rather than its questionable plot, though unrest in Hollywood due to McCarthyism may have also played a role.
10 Greatest Best Picture Oscar Nominees That Didn’t Win
Though the Oscars can be a good indicator of the best movies of the year, plenty of fantastic films shouldn’t have lost for Best Picture.
As the scale for movies has become grander and the effects used enable even greater spectacle,The Greatest Show on Earthhas naturally fallen out of favor among viewers. Modern critics who are responsible for the movie’s low Rotten Tomatoes rating highlight the disastrous plot while still praising the bright colors and fun circus sequences. While there are aspects ofThe Greatest Show on Earththat are certainly still entertaining, it is pretty clear why it would not be regarded as Best Picture worthy today.
1The Broadway Melody (1929)
The Musical Was Surprisingly Impressive At The Time Of Its Release
The Broadway Melodyprimarily focuses on two sisters, Hank and Queenie, and their attempts to make it on Broadway. The sisters join a revue but do not find what they were hoping for. Additionally, the film also details their romantic lives and includes several musical numbers. Out of all the Oscar Best Picture winners,The Broadway Melodyholds the lowest approval rating at just 42% for critics and 21% for audiences.
The film was the first sound movie to win the award and one of the first movies to include a sequence in color, makingThe Broadway Melodya pretty significant achievement in film for 1929.
Despite its low rating among modern critics, it is actually easy to see whyThe Broadway Melodywon Best Picture at the 1930 Oscars. The film was the first sound movie to win the award and one of the first movies to include a sequence in color, makingThe Broadway Melodya pretty significant achievement in film for 1929. However, even critics of the time noted that the acting and dialogue were not great.
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WhileThe Broadway Melodyshould still be considered a formative moment in the musical film genre, the current consensus is that its importance in some respects does not negate its bland plot and performances. Other early Hollywood musicals are better, both in their use of the updated technology thatThe Broadway Melodyexhibits and in their narrative. Despite the low rating of the Best Picture winner,The Broadway Melodystill marks an important moment inOscarshistory that should be recognized going into the 2025 ceremony.
Oscars
The Oscars, also known as The Academy Awards, is an annual awards show celebrating workers in the film industry for their artistic and technical abilities. The Oscars are often considered the most prestigious awards show in the industry and date back to 1929. The 96th Academy Awards will be held on July 02, 2025, and be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC.
