No sci-fi movie in history had ever won this many Oscar awards. Although sci-fi cinema has long been associated with the Academy’s distant stance, some films have completely shattered this perception. These sci-fi films, which won a record number of awards in Oscar history, proved that the genre is not just a visual feast but also a powerful realm of storytelling. Sci-fi movies generally competed in technical categories at the Academy Awards. For instance, it was not surprising for a sci-fi film to win awards like Best Sound or Best Visual Effects. (The Lord of the Rings, which won awards in 11 categories, is not sci-fi; it is the first fantasy film to win the “Best Picture” award).
However, some sci-fi films destroyed all these perspectives and became the owners of multiple Academy Awards. Here are the sci-fi films that have won plenty of Oscars, were nominated in numerous categories, and have high scores, ranked from 10 to 1:
10. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
The 1982 film E.T. was nominated for Oscars in 9 categories and won 4 awards: Best Original Score (John Williams), Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects. However, it lost some major awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, to the film “Gandhi” that same year.
E.T. is considered one of Steven Spielberg’s best films. In the film, a group of aliens comes to Earth to conduct research, but one is left behind during their departure. This small and cute alien is found by 10-year-old Elliott, who lives alone. Elliott and his siblings secretly take care of the alien and name him E.T. Over time, a strong friendship and a telepathic bond form between Elliott and E.T.
Spielberg felt lonely after his parents divorced when he was a child. The bond between E.T. and little Elliott is actually a cinematic reflection of the search for an “invisible friend” that Spielberg longed for during that period.
- IMDB score: 7.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 99%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 72%
9. Jurassic Park (1993)
At number 9 on our list is another Steven Spielberg film. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Jurassic Park won 3 Oscars at the 1994 Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
It received a total of 3 awards and also became the highest-grossing film of the era. The film could have done more at the Academy Awards… Of course, if Steven Spielberg hadn’t released Schindler’s List the same year… The master director won the Best Picture award that year with Schindler’s List.
- IMDB score: 8.2
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 91%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 91%
8. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
The film takes place in a post-apocalyptic world. People are trying to survive in a savage environment turned into a desert where resources like water and gasoline are almost completely exhausted.
At the 88th Academy Awards in 2016, it was nominated in a total of 10 categories and won 6 Oscars:
- Best Film Editing
- Best Costume Design
- Best Production Design
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling
- Best Sound Editing
- Best Sound Mixing
- IMDB score: 8.1
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 97%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 86%
7. Dune (2021)
Denis Villeneuve’s Dune was nominated in a total of 10 categories at the Academy Awards and received 6 awards. Dune has always been one of the important sci-fi novels, but it took a long time for a popular film adaptation to arrive. Denis Villeneuve received great acclaim from critics.
- Best Cinematography
- Best Film Editing
- Best Original Score
- Best Sound
- Best Production Design
- Best Visual Effects
- IMDB score: 8.0
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 83%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 90%
6. Gravity (2013)
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity was nominated for awards in 10 categories at the 86th Academy Awards. It became the most awarded film of the night with 7 Oscars. Alfonso Cuarón received the Best Director award for directing a technically almost flawless masterpiece.
The plot of the film was as follows: Dr. Ryan Stone is a medical engineer on her first space shuttle mission. Her commander is veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky, who is performing his last flight before retirement. During a routine spacewalk, disaster strikes: The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Ryan and Matt stranded in deep space with their connection to Earth cut off. As fear turns to panic, they realize that the only way to return home might be to go further into the unknown of space.
- IMDB score: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 96%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 79%
5. Poor Things (2023)
Poor Things brings the story of a young woman being brought back to life by a scientist to the big screen. Starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo, the film sits Yorgos Lanthimos in the director’s chair. The film is a sci-fi film with fantastic elements; in a sense, a Frankenstein story.
Although it was hard to beat Oppenheimer that year, Poor Things won four Oscars: Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling… Emma Stone won her second Oscar in the Best Actress category.
- IMDB score: 7.8
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 92%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 80%
4. Avatar (2009)
The film, which stormed the box office, was nominated for Oscars in nine categories, including Best Picture, and brought home a total of three awards.
The film’s director was James Cameron, who was also the screenwriter and producer. This sci-fi legend represents the most effective use of 3D technology to date.
- IMDB score: 7.9
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 81%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 82%
3. Star Wars (1977)
After the first Star Wars movie was released, it became a global phenomenon. Today, it continues to be one of the most popular sci-fi movies of all time.
Star Wars won 8 awards (1 Special Achievement Award, 7 competitive Oscars) on Oscar night. It was nominated for awards in four more categories, including Best Picture and Best Director. However, it lost both strong awards to Woody Allen’s Annie Hall.
- IMDB score: 8.6
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 94%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 96%
2. The Shape Of Water (2017)
The film’s director is Guillermo del Toro… In the film, Elisa is a mute and lonely woman working as a cleaner in a secret and high-security government laboratory in Baltimore in 1962. Her life changes completely when she discovers a secret hidden in the laboratory: A mysterious, scaly creature brought from South America and kept in a water tank. Elisa establishes a special bond with this entity…
The film was nominated for Oscars in 13 categories… It won 4 awards: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. The Shape of Water became the first sci-fi film to win the Best Picture award.
- IMDB score: 7.3
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 92%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 73%
1. Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)
The multiverse film “Everything Everywhere All At Once” left its mark on the 2023 Oscar Awards. Nominated in 11 categories, the film won 7 Oscars, including Best Picture.
In addition to the best picture award, the Best Actress award went to Michelle Yeoh. With this award, a woman of Asian descent won the Best Actress award for the first time.
Other awards won by the film are as follows:
- Best Director: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
- Best Supporting Actress: Jamie Lee Curtis
- Best Supporting Actor: Ke Huy Quan
- Best Original Screenplay
- Best Film Editing
The film is about Evelyn, who has an ordinary life with her family and job, suddenly becoming aware of her selves in all multiverses and discovering that she is the only power to save the universe. The film blends sci-fi, action, comedy, and drama in a saga covering the multiverse.
- IMDB score: 7.7
- Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score: 93%
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score: 79%
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