Even though Avengers: Endgame was 2019's biggest movies and narrowly became the highest-grossing movie of all time, the Marvel Cinematic Universe movie was only nominated for one Academy Award: Best Visual Effects. However, that award ended up going to 1917, shutting Avengers out from winning any awards and inadvertently making history in the process.
Before that loss, every other movie that became the highest-grossing of all time won at least something at the Academy Awards, and Avengers: Endgame is the first one to have come home empty-handed. Even if some of those other films didn't win any major awards, they frequently won in more technical categories. Now, we're taking a look back at the other films that became the highest-grossing films of all time, how much they made at the box office (not adjusting for inflation) and what Oscars they won in their respective eras.
Gone with the Wind
These numbers aren’t adjusted for inflation because Gone with the Wind would be the only movie ever on this list, having made the equivalent of $1.8 billion today at the domestic box office alone. It held the record for a highest-grossing movie ever not adjusted for inflation from 1940-1966, with a re-release pushing it back over the top again in 1971.
This Civil War-era romance epic was the first movie to take the highest-grossing title after the creation of the Academy Awards, and it dominated those as well. The film was nominated for 13 awards and won eight: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography Color, Best Film Editing, and Best Art Direction.
The Sound of Music
Released in 1965, The Sound of Music took the title of highest-grossing movie in 1966, grossing $114.6 million during its four and a half year theatrical run, until a re-release of Gone with the Wind in 1971 put that movie back on top.
This iconic musical was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and went on to win five of them: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Music, Best Sound Recording, and Best Film Editing.
The Godfather
After its release in 1972, The Godfather pushed Gone with the Wind back to second highest-grossing movie of all time, earning $142 million during its run.
This crime epic had an interesting run at the Academy Awards, receiving 11 nominations, but having its Best Original Dramatic Score nomination revoked due to Nino Rota having reused some music from a movie he made years ago. The Godfather ended up with 10 nominations, winning three: Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor, which Marlon Brando declined in protest of how Hollywood portrayed indigenous Americans in movies.
Jaws
Jaws is credited with creating the modern blockbuster in 1975. With its $193.7 million gross, it's not hard to see why this killer shark creature feature went down in history.
In addition to creating the template for blockbuster movies that was copied for decades, it was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three: Best Original Score, Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. With these wins, it also set the precedent for blockbuster movies winning the technical awards instead of bigger awards.
Star Wars
By 1982, Star Wars had grossed $530 million, obliterating the record set by Jaws a few years earlier.
At the 1977 Oscars, Star Wars was nominated for 10 Academy Awards, and it won six: Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Costume Design, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing and Best Visual Effects. The film also earned a Special Achievement Award for Ben Burtt for his work creating the voices of aliens, robots and other creatures in the movie.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Released in 1983, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial held on to the top spot on the highest-grossing list for a decade, until another Steven Spielberg movie came along to break the record again.
By the time it lost the record in 1993, E.T. had grossed $701 million. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won four: Best Original Score, Best Sound, Best Sound effects Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Jurassic Park
The next Spielberg film to take the record was Jurassic Park, grossing $914.7 million in 1993.
It was nominated for three Academy Awards and won them all: Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects.
Titanic
In sharp contrast to the science-fiction movies that preceded it atop the highest-grossing list, director James Cameron's historical epic Titanic took over the highest-grossing title in 1998.
In just its original run, it grossed $1.8 billion worldwide, eventually pushed up to $2.187 billion by rereleases. It was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and it won 11: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Dramatic Score, Best Original Song, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.
Avatar
In 2010, James Cameron broke his own box office record with Avatar. It grossed $2.749 billion in its first theatrical release, eventually reaching $2.790 billion after a re-release. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards, winning three: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Visual Effects.
Despite an Oscar campaign push by Disney, Avengers: Endgame didn't win the Best Visual Effects award it was nominated for, despite the presence of CGI-heavy worlds and characters like Rocket Raccoon and Thanos. While MCU movies might be box office champions, their success at the Academy Awards is hardly inevitable.