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Eleven Oscars
Ben-Hur, Titanic and The Return of the King
Three films have each won 11 Academy Awards: Ben-Hur (1959), Titanic (1997) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Return of the King won every category it was nominated in.
Ben-Hur, a Biblical epic directed by William Wyler, set the mark at the 1960 ceremony, winning 11 of its 12 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Charlton Heston. It remained the sole holder for nearly four decades.
Titanic, directed by James Cameron, equalled the total at the 1998 ceremony, taking 11 of 14 nominations. The Return of the King matched it in 2004, but with a distinct feature: it won all 11 categories in which it was nominated, so it had a perfect record.
The tie depends on the number of categories at the time, which have changed over the years, so wins are compared across eras with some care. Several other films have come close with ten or fewer wins, and none has yet exceeded 11, which makes the three-way tie a lasting piece of Academy history.
The Academy has presented its awards since 1929, and Best Picture is only one of the categories counted in a film's total. Wins for technical work such as visual effects, sound and costume design make up a large share of the 11 awards for each of the three films, which shows how broad their recognition was.