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As the 2026 Oscars ceremony approaches this Sunday, cinephiles looking to indulge in some Oscar-winning films should head over to Netflix. While the streaming giant has yet to claim the coveted Best Picture award for its original productions, it currently hosts a selection of past winners that have taken home the top honor.
Netflix is the proud streaming home to three remarkable Best Picture winners, curated by Watch With Us into a concise collection of cinematic excellence. These films have captivated audiences over the years, and if you haven’t experienced them yet—or even if you have—this is the perfect opportunity to revisit these celebrated stories.
Reflecting on the last quarter-century of Hollywood’s finest, the Best Picture category has showcased some truly outstanding films. Can you recall all the winners from the past 25 years? Whether you’re revisiting these classics or discovering them for the first time, Netflix offers a convenient platform to explore these cinematic gems.
Given the popularity of these flicks, there’s a very good chance you’ve seen them already. But there’s no time like the present to watch them again.
The past 25 years in Hollywood has seen some noteworthy winners in the Best Picture category at the Oscars — do you remember all the winners?
‘Titanic’ (1997)
For a long time, Titanic was the highest-grossing movie and the most expensive film ever made. Director James Cameron proved all of the naysayers wrong when the film bucked expectations and became a generational blockbuster. Gloria Stuart plays Rose DeWitt Bukater and has the spotlight in the present-day framing sequence, but most of the film belongs to Kate Winslet‘s young Rose and Leonardo DiCaprio as her lover, Jack Dawson.
Rose meets Jack on the Titanic while she’s engaged to a rich lout, Caledon “Cal” Hockley (Billy Zane), who does everything in his power to keep them apart. But once the ship hits the iceberg, the Titanic’s crew and passengers are engulfed in chaos and destruction that will claim most of their lives. For Jack and Rose, their greatest challenge isn’t getting off the ship, it’s surviving what comes after it sinks.
Titanic is streaming on Netflix through March 15.
‘The Hurt Locker’ (2008)
Cameron’s Avatar was up against The Hurt Locker during the 2009 awards season, which was ironic because the latter was directed by Cameron’s ex-wife, Kathryn Bigelow. In addition to winning Best Picture, Bigelow also became the first woman to win Best Director for her work on this film.
Several big stars are lined up to present at the 2026 Oscars on Sunday, March 15. During a press conference on Wednesday, March 11, the creative team for the awards show teased what fans can expect from this year’s Academy Awards, including some “huge reunions.” “There’s been rumors of what that [reunion] is, and we […]
Jeremy Renner leads the cast as Sergeant First Class William James, a bomb disposal expert in the army during the Second War in Iraq. James’ approach to the job is very dangerous, which angers his new colleagues, Sergeant J. T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty). Sanborn and Eldridge may hate James’ guts, but they have more pressing problems with the insurgents out to kill them. And their luck won’t protect them forever.
The Hurt Locker is streaming on Netflix through March 30.
’12 Years a Slave’ (2012)
12 Years a Slave is the most recent Oscar-winner for Best Picture on Netflix, and it shares its title with the autobiography of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free Black man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in 1841. Northup’s talent as a violist earns him some favor, but his life becomes a living Hell under his second owner, Edwin Epps (Michael Fassbender).
During Northup’s long ordeal, he befriends a fellow slave named Patsey (Lupita Nyong’o) and tries to find anyone brave enough to help him send a message back to his family in the North. These were dangerous times for Black men and women, especially when they dared to dream of freedom. But Northup got to write to his own conclusion, and the film movingly recreates the events that led to his liberation.
12 Years a Slave is streaming on Netflix.