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As the 2019 Academy Awards draw closer, it's time to dive into the numbers and check out which of the best-picture winners are the biggest moneymakers of all time at the box office.
There are some obvious ones here, but thanks to inflation, there are a few titles that may surprise you.
Looking forward, there's only one title from this year's crop of best-picture nominees that would instantly get thrust into this list if it won, Disney's "Black Panther," which earned over $700 million domestically. That would be quite a feat, as the most recent title on this list is 2003's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."
The 91st Academy Awards ceremony takes place on February 24.
Here are the 15 top-grossing best picture winners that have made the most money at the box office.
Note: All box-office figures are domestic grosses only and include any earnings from rereleases. All figures are from Box Office Mojo.
15. "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946) — $496.6 million
RKO Radio Pictures
Unadjusted: $24 million
14. “Rocky” (1976) — $497 million
MGM/Netflix
Unadjusted: $117 million
13. “Lawrence of Arabia (1962) — $500 million
Columbia Pictures
Unadjusted: $45 million
12. “West Side Story” (1961) — $505.7 million
United Artists
Unadjusted: $44 million
11. (TIE) “My Fair Lady” (1964) — $541.8 million
Warner Bros.
Unadjusted: $72 million
11. (TIE) “The Greatest Show on Earth” (1952) — $541.8 million
Paramount Pictures
Unadjusted: $36 million
9. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003) — $556.6 million
New Line
Unadjusted: $378 million
8. “Around the World in 80 Days” (1956) — $583.4 million
