Oscars Glory x3! Just Two Trilogies Have Landed Best Picture Nominations For All Three Films

Only two film trilogies in history had all three entries nominated for Best Picture. Here’s how they made Oscar history by sweeping the nominations for every entry.

By
Piyush Yadav
- June 27, 2025 | 11:44 AM IST
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Oscars history is filled with iconic franchises, but the Academy has rarely shown consistent love to sequels, let alone full trilogies. While box office numbers and cultural legacy often define a film’s impact, being recognized with a Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards is the industry’s highest mark of quality.

And yet, it’s incredibly rare for a trilogy to maintain such prestige across all its entries. Most sequels, even successful ones, lose momentum critically or artistically. Whether it’s superhero sagas, animated series, or legacy franchises, only a handful even receive one Best Picture nod. But in over nine decades of Oscar history, only two film trilogies have achieved what others couldn’t: three consecutive Best Picture nominations. These aren’t just well-made films; they are generational achievements in storytelling, acting, production design, and direction.

The Godfather and The Lord of the Rings – The Only Trilogies With a Perfect Best Picture Nomination Record

The Godfather Trilogy

The first trilogy to achieve this rare feat was Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather Trilogy. Beginning in 1972, the saga redefined American cinema with its complex moral storytelling and operatic scope. The Godfather won Best Picture and two other Oscars, while its sequel, The Godfather Part II, made history by becoming the first sequel to win Best Picture. It won six Oscars in total. Though The Godfather Part III in 1990 was more divisive, it still earned seven nominations, including Best Picture, ensuring the trilogy’s complete sweep at the top category.

The Godfather (1972)

Best Picture – Won

• 11 total nominations
• 3 wins (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay)

The Godfather Part II (1974)

Best Picture – Won

• 11 total nominations
• 6 wins (including Director, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay)

The Godfather Part III (1990)

Best Picture – Nominated

• 7 total nominations
• 0 wins

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Decades later, Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings Trilogy matched that achievement on an entirely different scale. LOTR is widely regarded as one of the greatest film trilogies of all time, and there’s a reason for it. The series’ performance at the Academy Awards is something never seen since then, especially The Return of the King, which was nominated for 11 awards and swept the floor at the ceremony. No other trilogy, Star Wars, The Dark Knight, Toy Story, has matched this consistency. These two remain the only full trilogies where every single film was honored among the best of its year by the Academy.

The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

Best Picture – Nominated

• 13 total nominations
• 4 wins (including Cinematography, Score, Makeup)

The Two Towers (2002)

Best Picture – Nominated

• 6 total nominations
• 2 wins (Sound Editing, Visual Effects)

The Return of the King (2003)

Best Picture – Won

• 11 total nominations
• 11 wins (including Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay)

For more such updates, check out Hollywood News

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