Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards its coveted Oscar to bestow the highest honors in filmmaking. Netflix broke into the Best Picture race for the first time with 2018’sRomaand has since added numerous more titles to that coveted list of nominees, but has so far failed to secure a win, though Apple TV+ broke the barrier this year, becoming the first streaming service to take home Best Picture forCODAdespite Netflix leading the pack in nominations for three years running.
Films produced, streamed, and distributed by Netflix have won 23 Oscars in 13 categories from 150 nominations so far(not including the 17 nominations for its original movies in 2025). These best Oscar-winning movies on Netflix are their most lauded. However, Netflix’s catalog of winners is only sure to increase with the multitude of nominations that it has received for the highly anticipated 97th Academy Awards, set to premiere on March 2nd.
2025 Film Nominated
Category Film is Nominated For
Emilia Pérez
Best Picture, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Score, Best Original Song (x2), Best International Feature,
Best Cinematography
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
Best Animated Feature
The Six Triple Eight
Best Original Song
The Only Girl in the Orchestra
Best Documentary Short Film
0 Wins, 3 Nominations
A quaint Western anthology film directed by the legendaryCoen Brothers, each of the distinct stories withinThe Ballad of Buster Scruggsis complete with enough charm and comedy energy to be worth an entire film on its own. Each story has a different dark and shockingly comedic twist to the chaotic and violent world of the Wild West, ranging from the misadventures of a failed wannabe bank robber to the titular Buster Scruggs singing songs as he gets into high-stakes shootouts.
The Coen Brothers have been no stranger to their films being nominated and even winning Academy Awards in the past, with them even taking home Best Picture with their legendaryNo Country for Old Men. While the number of nominations wasn’t as particularly high as some of their previous works, this doesn’t take away from their impact, with itsnominations for Best Costume Design, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Songbeing highly worthy. Buster Scruggs would end up not taking home any awards however, losing out to the likes ofBlacKkKlansman,Black Panther, andA Star is Born.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
14’The Two Popes' (2019)
A religious drama that follows the unexpected connection and relationship that forms between the former and future popes,The Two Popesis one of the most defining historical takes on the papacy in recent film history. The film sees Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) growing more and more tired of the direction of the church in recent years, traveling to the Vatican to request permission to retire from the Pope. However, this meeting with Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) soon takes an unexpected turn when Benedict trusts Bergoglio with a powerful secret and request, despite their rivalry in the past.
While only 3 nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards may not seem like a lot forThe Two Popes,each of these nominations is in a massively stacked and high-profile category, all being above-the-line nominations. Both Pryce and Hopkins would respectively receive nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for their portrayals of the legendary historical figures, while the film would also receive a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. With Best Picture having only 9 nominations during this ceremony andThe Two Popeshaving such notable nominations, it’s easy to see a world whereThe Two Popescould have been the film chosen for the 10th open slot in the category.
The Two Popes
13’Mudbound' (2017)
0 Wins, 4 Nominations
Dee Rees’ 2017 filmMudboundsees two families struggling to survive in the Mississippi Delta – one Black, the other white – sharing the same patch of land and keeping a tenuous, race-based peace. But when their sons Ronsel (Jason Mitchell) and Jamie (Garrett Hedlund) return home from the war with a budding friendship, their peace will be tested by segregation and hatred.
At the 90th Academy Awards,Mudboundhad four nominations on the ballot: Best Supporting Actress forMary J. Blige, Best Adapted Screenplay for Rees andVirgil Williamsbased on the novel byHillary Jordan, Best Cinematography forRachel Morrison, and Best Original Song, again for Blige. Blige became the first person to ever be nominated for both an acting and a song Oscar during the same year. Rees became the first Black woman to be nominated for an adapted screenplay. Morrison became the first woman ever to be nominated as a cinematographer.They may not have won, but they did make a lot of history for their work onMudbound.
12’Don’t Look Up' (2021)
In 2021, writer-directorAdam McKayblessed Netflix viewers with a political satire/black comedy with anincredible and quirky ensemble cast, includingJennifer Lawrence,Leonardo DiCaprio,Jonah Hill,Mark Rylance,Tyler Perry,Timothee Chalamet,Cate Blanchett, andMeryl Streep. It told the story of two astronomers warning the world about its impending demise thanks to an approaching comet. The world, however, remained largely apathetic, an on-the-nose allegory for humanity’s current response to climate change.
Don’t Look Upreceived mixed reviews from critics and audiences,but the Academy saw fit to bestow four nominations upon it, including a coveted, all-important nomination for Best Picture, which it lost toCODA. It lost Best Original Screenplay toKenneth BranaghforBelfast, Best Original Score toHans ZimmerforDune, and Best Film Editing toJoe Walker, also forDune.
Don’t Look Up
11’The Trial of the Chicago 7' (2020)
0 Wins, 6 Nominations
Aaron Sorkin’s 2020 filmThe Trial of the Chicago 7told the story of the seven people charged in the wake of protestors’ violent confrontations with police in the wake of the 1968 Democratic Party Convention. They were forced to stand trial together by a hostile Nixon administration and a volatile judge despite their differing defense philosophies and that one of them, Black Panther Bobby Seale, wasn’t even there.
The Trial of the Chicago 7earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture at the 93rd Academy Awards, which it lost toNomadland. While the film also picked up nominations for Best Original Song, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, and Best Supporting Actor forSacha Baron Cohen,it would go home with no wins under its belt. Sorkin, predictably, earned himself a fourth Oscar nomination for his screenplays, though his only win came from 2010’sThe Social Network; this time he lost toEmerald Fennell’sPromising Young Woman.
The Trial of the Chicago 7
10’Maestro' (2023)
0 Wins, 7 Nominations
Historical biopics have become an increasingly prevalent trendamong Best Picture nominees, especially those that center themselves around a prolific and acclaimed musician. While not a pop star like other musician biopics,Maestro’s deep examination of the ups and downs of the life of legendary composerLeonard Bernsteinmade for a powerful romantic drama that charmed the Academy and earned an array of nominations. The film made a point to show not only the exceptional highs and glory of Bernstein’s career and relationship but also his painful lows, battles with his sexuality, and attempts to balance his love life and maestro career.
The film’s seven nominations featured several glorious above-the-line nominations for Best Picture,Bradley Cooperfor Best Actor,Carey Mulliganfor Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay. Other nominations included the likes of Best Sound, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Cinematography. However,the high amount of fierce competition among other nominees left the film empty-handed with no wins to its name, losing out to the likes ofOppenheimer,Poor Things, andAnatomy of a Fall.
9’The Irishman' (2019)
0 Wins, 10 Nominations
Martin Scorsese’s epic filmThe IrishmanstarsRobert DeNiroas a hitman looking back on his life as Scorsese meditates on the excess of sin and the state of his soul. The incredible cast includesJoe Pesci,Al Pacino, andHarvey Keitel. The film acted as Scorsese’s swan song for his legendary career in crime movies, acting as a beautiful and heartbreaking sendoff to a chapter of his career as a whole.
The 92nd Academy Awards recognizedThe Irishmanwith all the biggest nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor nominations for both Pacino and Pesci.Brad Pittbested them both forOnce Upon A Time In Hollywood, andParasiteswept the others, though whenBong Joon-hoaccepted his Oscar for Best Director, he said “When I was young and studying cinema, there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart, which is, ‘the most personal is the most creative,’" which he then attributed to Scorsese, prompting a standing ovation for the prolific director.
The Irishman
8’My Octopus Teacher' (2020)
1 Win, 1 Nomination
Their most notable win in the category came in 2021 whenMy Octopus Teacherchronicled filmmakerCraig Fosterforging a relationship with a wild octopus in a South African kelp forest.It became a global phenomenon and is one ofNetflix’s highest-rated documentaries, in large part due to the bizarre but wholly engrossing story about the unique bond between man and animal.
My Octopus Teacher
7’Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio' (2022)
While Netflix has been highly competitive in the Best Animated Feature category over the years with films likeI Lost My Body,Klaus, andThe Mitchells vs. the Machines, they finally broke through withGuillermo del Toro’sPinocchio. The film took a darker, more gothic take on the classic children’s story, having the story of the wooden boy placed in the backdrop of Mussolini’s Italy, further emphasizing the struggles and hardships of the characters involved.
The film would end up winning Best Animated Feature against the likes ofTurning Red,Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and even Netflix’s ownThe Sea Beast.The win was also notable for Guillermo del Toro’s legendary acceptance speech, in which he brought great weight and importance to the medium of animation, saying that “animation is cinema”. It’s far from particularly surprising, as even now, the film is easily considered to be one of thegreatest animated films that Netflixhas released, as a magnificent work of art that has been cherished and enjoyed by audiences worldwide.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio
6’Marriage Story' (2019)
1 Win, 6 Nominations
Marriage Storyalso could not matchParasite’s raging success, losing Best Picture but being honoredjust to have been nominated. Driver got a nomination but lost toJoaquin Phoenix’sJoker; Johansson was double nominated for bothMarriage StoryandJojo Rabbit, but lost out twice, toRenee ZellwegerasJudy GarlandandLaura Dern, who played her lawyer inMarriage Storyand gave the film its single win.
