A Movie That Has Won the Most Oscars in History is Now on Max

Summary

• In the history of the Academy Awards, only three films have won 11 awards at once.
• One of them not only defined the genre as a whole, but also became the first fantasy film to be honored at the Oscars.
• The movie is now available for streaming on Max, but can also be purchased or rented on other services.

Over the years, the Academy Awards has become more than just a high-octane event where celebrities flaunt their lavish outfits on red carpets. While audiences don't always agree with the Academy's decisions, it's hard to deny that the Oscars are a great indicator of what a year has been for the film industry and whether a particular movie is worth your time and money.

But while some casts and crews are content with one or two wins or are remembered only for their nominations, some films in the history of the Oscars have managed to triumph in almost every category and become the absolute favorites of both critics and audiences. So far, only three films have won the most Oscars, and one of them is now available on Max.

The Epic Film That Earned the Most Oscars

Though Oscar nominees come from all genres, the Academy tends to favor comedies, thrillers, crime and biographical dramas over less 'realistic' settings. Not to mention the Best Picture category!

In 2004, however, the public was shocked and delighted when the overwhelming winner of the 76th Academy Awards was Peter Jackson's fantasy film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, which concluded the epic story of the struggle between good and evil in Middle-earth.

The film won 11 awards in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup, Best Original Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.

Where and How to See It, Including Max?

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was previously available to Hulu subscribers, but on September 30, 2023, Peter Jackson's entire trilogy was removed from the service's library. That doesn't mean the final installment of the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's novels is unavailable for streaming, however, as the film has been moved to another platform, HBO-owned Max.

The Max subscription plan is available in several options:

• The with ads plan, which offers full access to the streamer's library, Full HD resolution, and two supported devices. It costs $9.99 per month.
• The ad-free plan, which not only removes commercials but also allows 30 downloads per month. Costs $15.99 per month.
• The ultimate ad-free plan. Requires 4K Ultra HD resolution and Dolby Atmos audio, plus 100 downloads. Cost $19.99 per month.

The movie is also available to Max subscribers through Amazon Prime Video, if you combine a Prime subscription ($14.99 per month and $7.49 per month for students, both with a 30-day free trial) and the one for Max. It can also be rented or purchased through Prime: $3.99 to rent in SD, HD, or UHD quality and $14.99 to purchase in the same variants.

In addition, The Return of the King is available for purchase or rental on other platforms, including iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Microsoft, and DirecTV. Rentals start at $3.99 and purchases start at $7.99 on Microsoft and $14.99 elsewhere.

What Are the Other Movies With the Most Oscar Wins?

Only two other iconic films have garnered the same number of awards. The first to break the record was William Wyler's 1959 religious epic Ben-Hur, which also won in 11 categories at the 32nd Academy Awards. The second was James Cameron 's 1997 Titanic, which won 11 awards at the 70th Academy Awards. Notably, it had more nominations than The Return of the King: 12 and 14 versus 11. Academics are still relatively cold to fantasy and sci-fi!