| # | Eligibility | Date | PST/PDT | EST/EDT | Best Picture | Length | U.S. viewers | HH rating | Host(s) | Co-host(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|
| 1st | 08-01-1927 to 07-31-1928 | Thursday, May 16, 1929 | 8:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | Wings | 1h51m | not televised | Douglas Fairbanks | William C. deMille | — |
| 2nd | 08-01-1928 to 07-31-1929 | Thursday, April 3, 1930 | The Broadway Melody | 1h40m | William C. deMille | — |
| 3rd | 08-01-1929 to 07-31-1930 | Wednesday, November 5, 1930 | All Quiet on theWestern Front | 2h32m | Conrad Nagel |
| 4th | 08-01-1930 to 07-31-1931 | Tuesday, November 10, 1931 | Cimarron | 2h04m | Lawrence Grant |
| 5th | 08-01-1931 to 07-31-1932 | Friday, November 18, 1932 | Grand Hotel | 1h52m | Lionel Barrymore | Conrad Nagel |
| 6th | 08-01-1932 to 12-31-1933 | Friday, March 16, 1934 | Cavalcade | 1h52m | Will Rogers | — |
| 7th | 1934 | Wednesday, February 27, 1935 | It Happened One Night | 1h45m | Irvin S. Cobb |
| 8th | 1935 | Thursday, March 5, 1936 | Mutiny on the Bounty | 2h12m | Frank Capra |
| 9th | 1936 | Thursday, March 4, 1937 | The Great Ziegfeld | 2h57m | George Jessel |
| 10th | 1937 | Thursday, March 10, 1938 | 8:15 p.m. | 11:15 p.m. | The Life of Emile Zola | 1h56m | Bob Burns |
| 11th | 1938 | Thursday, February 23, 1939 | 8:30 p.m. | 11:30 p.m. | You Can't Take It With You | 2h06m | Frank Capra |
| 12th | 1939 | Thursday, February 29, 1940 | Gone with the Wind | 3h58m | Bob Hope |
| 13th | 1940 | Thursday, February 27, 1941 | 8:45 p.m. | 11:45 p.m. | Rebecca | 2h10m |
| 14th | 1941 | Thursday, February 26, 1942 | 7:45 p.m. | 10:45 p.m. | How Green Was My Valley | 1h58m |
| 15th | 1942 | Thursday, March 4, 1943 | 8:30 p.m. | 11:30 p.m. | Mrs. Miniver | 2h13m |
| 16th | 1943 | Thursday, March 2, 1944 | 8:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | Casablanca | 1h42m | Jack Benny |
| 17th | 1944 | Thursday, March 15, 1945 | Going My Way | 2h06m | Bob Hope | John Cromwell |
| 18th | 1945 | Thursday, March 7, 1946 | The Lost Weekend | 1h41m | James Stewart |
| 19th | 1946 | Thursday, March 13, 1947 | 8:45 p.m. | 11:45 p.m. | The Best Years of Our Lives | 2h52m | Jack Benny | — |
| 20th | 1947 | Saturday, March 20, 1948 | 8:15 p.m. | 11:15 p.m. | Gentleman's Agreement | 1h58m | — | — |
| 21st | 1948 | Thursday, March 24, 1949 | 8:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | Hamlet | 1h35m | Robert Montgomery | — |
| 22nd | 1949 | Thursday, March 23, 1950 | All the King's Men | 1h50m | Paul Douglas |
| 23rd | 1950 | Thursday, March 29, 1951 | All About Eve | 2h18m | Fred Astaire |
| 24th | 1951 | Thursday, March 20, 1952 | An American in Paris | 1h53m | Danny Kaye |
| 25th | 1952 | Thursday, March 19, 1953 | 7:30 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | The Greatest Show on Earth | 2h32m | 40 million | — | Bob Hope | Conrad Nagel |
| 26th | 1953 | Thursday, March 25, 1954 | 8:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | From Here to Eternity | 1h58m | 43 million | — | Donald O'Connor | Fredric March |
| 27th | 1954 | Wednesday, March 30, 1955 | 7:30 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | On the Waterfront | 1h48m | — | — | Bob Hope | Thelma Ritter |
| 28th | 1955 | Wednesday, March 21, 1956 | Marty | 1h33m | — | — | Jerry Lewis | Claudette Colbert Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Robert Emmett Dolan |
| 29th | 1956 | Wednesday, March 27, 1957 | Around the World in80 Days | 2h55m | — | — | Celeste Holm | Valentine Davies |
| 30th | 1957 | Wednesday, March 26, 1958 | The Bridge on the River Kwai | 2h41m | — | — | Bob Hope | David Niven James Stewart Jack Lemmon Rosalind Russell Donald Duck[8] | Jerry Wald |
| 31st | 1958 | Monday, April 6, 1959 | Gigi | 1h55m | — | — | David Niven Tony Randall Mort Sahl Laurence Olivier Jerry Lewis |
| 32nd | 1959 | Monday, April 4, 1960 | Ben-Hur | 3h32m | — | — | — | Arthur Freed |
| 33rd | 1960 | Monday, April 17, 1961 | The Apartment | 2h05m | — | — |
| 34th | 1961 | Monday, April 9, 1962 | West Side Story | 2h32m | — | — |
| 35th | 1962 | Monday, April 8, 1963 | 7:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | Lawrence of Arabia | 3h42m | — | — | Frank Sinatra |
| 36th | 1963 | Monday, April 13, 1964 | Tom Jones | 2h08m | — | — | Jack Lemmon | Richard Dunlap George Sidney |
| 37th | 1964 | Monday, April 5, 1965 | My Fair Lady | 2h53m | — | — | Bob Hope | Joe Pasternak |
| 38th | 1965 | Monday, April 18, 1966 | The Sound of Music | 2h54m | — | — |
| 39th | 1966 | Monday, April 10, 1967 | A Man for All Seasons | 2h00m | — | — |
| 40th | 1967 | Wednesday, April 10, 1968 | In the Heat of the Night | 1h50m | — | — | Arthur Freed |
| 41st | 1968 | Monday, April 14, 1969 | Oliver! | 2h33m | — | — | none | Gower Champion |
| 42nd | 1969 | Tuesday, April 7, 1970 | Midnight Cowboy | 1h53m | — | 43.40 | M. J. Frankovich |
| 43rd | 1970 | Thursday, April 15, 1971 | Patton | 2h52m | — | — | Robert Wise |
| 44th | 1971 | Monday, April 10, 1972 | The French Connection | 1h44m | — | — | Sammy Davis Jr. | Helen Hayes Alan King Jack Lemmon | Howard W. Koch |
| 45th | 1972 | Monday, March 27, 1973 | The Godfather | 2h55m | — | — | Carol Burnett | Michael Caine Charlton Heston Rock Hudson |
| 46th | 1973 | Tuesday, April 2, 1974 | The Sting | 2h09m | — | — | John Huston | Burt Reynolds David Niven Diana Ross | Jack Haley Jr. |
| 47th | 1974 | Tuesday, April 8, 1975 | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | The Godfather Part II | 3h20m | — | — | Sammy Davis Jr. | Bob Hope Shirley MacLaine Frank Sinatra | Howard W. Koch |
| 48th | 1975 | Monday, March 29, 1976 | 7:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | One Flew Over theCuckoo's Nest | 2h15m | — | — | Goldie Hawn | Gene Kelly Walter Matthau George Segal Robert Shaw |
| 49th | 1976 | Monday, March 28, 1977 | 6:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | Rocky | 1h59m | — | — | Warren Beatty | Ellen Burstyn Jane Fonda Richard Pryor | William Friedkin |
| 50th | 1977 | Monday, April 3, 1978 | Annie Hall | 1h33m | 39.73 million | 31.10 | Bob Hope | — | Howard W. Koch |
| 51st | 1978 | Monday, April 9, 1979 | The Deer Hunter | 3h04m | — | — | Johnny Carson | Jack Haley Jr. |
| 52nd | 1979 | Monday, April 14, 1980 | Kramer vs. Kramer | 1h45m | — | — | Howard W. Koch |
| 53rd | 1980 | Tuesday, March 31, 1981 | Ordinary People | 2h04m | — | — | Norman Jewison |
| 54th | 1981 | Monday, March 29, 1982 | Chariots of Fire | 2h04m | — | — | Howard W. Koch Melvin Frank |
| 55th | 1982 | Monday, April 11, 1983 | Gandhi | 3h11m | — | — | Walter Matthau | Liza Minnelli Dudley Moore Richard Pryor | Howard W. Koch |
| 56th | 1983 | Monday, April 9, 1984 | Terms of Endearment | 2h12m | — | 38.00 | Johnny Carson | — | Jack Haley Jr. |
| 57th | 1984 | Monday, March 25, 1985 | Amadeus | 2h41m | — | — | Jack Lemmon | Gregory Peck Robert Wise Larry Gelbart Gene Allen |
| 58th | 1985 | Monday, March 24, 1986 | Out of Africa | 2h41m | 38.65 million | 25.71 | Alan Alda | Jane Fonda Robin Williams | Stanley Donen |
| 59th | 1986 | Monday, March 30, 1987 | Platoon | 2h00m | 39.72 million | 25.94 | Chevy Chase | Goldie Hawn Paul Hogan | Samuel Goldwyn Jr. |
| 60th | 1987 | Monday, April 11, 1988 | The Last Emperor | 2h43m | 42.04 million | 27.80 | — |
| 61st | 1988 | Wednesday, March 29, 1989 | Rain Man | 2h14m | 42.77 million | 28.41 | none | Allan Carr |
| 62nd | 1989 | Monday, March 26, 1990 | Driving Miss Daisy | 1h49m | 40.22 million | 26.42 | Billy Crystal | Gil Cates |
| 63rd | 1990 | Monday, March 25, 1991 | Dances with Wolves | 3h01m | 42.79 million | 28.06 |
| 64th | 1991 | Monday, March 30, 1992 | The Silence of the Lambs | 1h58m | 44.41 million | 29.80 |
| 65th | 1992 | Monday, March 29, 1993 | Unforgiven | 2h11m | 45.74 million | 31.20 |
| 66th | 1993 | Monday, March 21, 1994 | Schindler's List | 3h15m | 45.08 million | 31.10 | Whoopi Goldberg |
| 67th | 1994 | Monday, March 27, 1995 | Forrest Gump | 2h22m | 48.28 million | 32.50 | David Letterman |
| 68th | 1995 | Monday, March 25, 1996 | Braveheart | 2h58m | 44.87 million | 30.26 | Whoopi Goldberg | David Salzman Quincy Jones |
| 69th | 1996 | Monday, March 24, 1997 | The English Patient | 2h42m | 40.08 million | 27.35 | Billy Crystal | Gil Cates |
| 70th | 1997 | Monday, March 23, 1998 | Titanic | 3h15m | 55.25 million | 34.86 |
| 71st | 1998 | Sunday, March 21, 1999 | 5:30 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | Shakespeare in Love | 2h03m | 45.62 million | 28.64 | Whoopi Goldberg |
| 72nd | 1999 | Sunday, March 26, 2000 | American Beauty | 2h02m | 46.33 million | 29.20 | Billy Crystal | Richard D. Zanuck Lili Fini Zanuck |
| 73rd | 2000 | Sunday, March 25, 2001 | Gladiator | 2h35m | 42.94 million | 26.22 | Steve Martin | Gil Cates |
| 74th | 2001 | Sunday, March 24, 2002 | A Beautiful Mind | 2h15m | 41.78 million | 25.43 | Whoopi Goldberg | Laura Ziskin |
| 75th | 2002 | Sunday, March 23, 2003 | Chicago | 1h53m | 33.05 million | 20.40 | Steve Martin | Gil Cates |
| 76th | 2003 | Sunday, February 29, 2004 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | 3h21m | 43.53 million | 26.03 | Billy Crystal | Joe Roth |
| 77th | 2004 | Sunday, February 27, 2005 | Million Dollar Baby | 2h12m | 42.14 million | 25.43 | Chris Rock | Gil Cates |
| 78th | 2005 | Sunday, March 5, 2006 | 5:00 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | Crash | 1h52m | 38.94 million | 23.05 | Jon Stewart |
| 79th | 2006 | Sunday, February 25, 2007 | The Departed | 2h31m | 40.18 million | 23.62 | Ellen DeGeneres | Laura Ziskin |
| 80th | 2007 | Sunday, February 24, 2008 | No Country for Old Men | 2h02m | 32.02 million | 18.68 | Jon Stewart | Gil Cates |
| 81st | 2008 | Sunday, February 22, 2009 | Slumdog Millionaire | 2h00m | 36.32 million | 20.59 | Hugh Jackman | Bill Condon Laurence Mark |
| 82nd | 2009 | Sunday, March 7, 2010 | The Hurt Locker | 2h11m | 41.71 million | 23.33 | Steve Martin | Alec Baldwin | Bill Mechanic Adam Shankman |
| 83rd | 2010 | Sunday, February 27, 2011 | The King's Speech | 1h59m | 37.92 million | 21.25 | James Franco | Anne Hathaway | Bruce Cohen Don Mischer |
| 84th | 2011 | Sunday, February 26, 2012 | 5:30 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | The Artist | 1h40m | 39.34 million | 22.58 | Billy Crystal | — | Brian Grazer Don Mischer |
| 85th | 2012 | Sunday, February 24, 2013 | Argo | 2h00m | 40.38 million | 23.08 | Seth MacFarlane | Craig Zadan Neil Meron |
| 86th | 2013 | Sunday, March 2, 2014 | 12 Years a Slave | 2h14m | 43.63 million | 24.60 | Ellen DeGeneres |
| 87th | 2014 | Sunday, February 22, 2015 | Birdman | 1h59m | 37.30 million | 20.65 | Neil Patrick Harris |
| 88th | 2015 | Sunday, February 28, 2016 | Spotlight | 2h09m | 34.43 million | 19.37 | Chris Rock | David Hill Reginald Hudlin |
| 89th | 2016 | Sunday, February 26, 2017 | Moonlight | 1h51m | 33.00 million | 18.39 | Jimmy Kimmel | Michael De Luca Jennifer Todd |
| 90th | 2017 | Sunday, March 4, 2018 | 5:00 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | The Shape of Water | 2h03m | 26.62 million | 14.87 |
| 91st | 2018 | Sunday, February 24, 2019 | Green Book | 2h10m | 29.56 million | 16.4 | none | Donna Gigliotti Glenn Weiss |
| 92nd | 2019 | Sunday, February 9, 2020 | Parasite | 2h12m | 23.64 million | 13.59[9] | Lynette Howell Taylor Stephanie Allain |
| 93rd | 01-01-2020 to 02-28-2021 | Sunday, April 25, 2021 | Nomadland | 1h48m | 10.40 million | 5.9 | Jesse Collins Stacey Sher Steven Soderbergh |
| 94th | 03-01 to 12-31-2021 | Sunday, March 27, 2022 | CODA | 1h51m | 16.62 million | 9.0 | Regina Hall Amy Schumer Wanda Sykes | Will Packer Shayla Cowan |
| 95th | 2022 | Sunday, March 12, 2023 | Everything Everywhere All at Once | 2h19m | 18.70 million | 9.9 | Jimmy Kimmel | Ricky Kirshner Glenn Weiss |
| 96th | 2023 | Sunday, March 10, 2024 | 4:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | Oppenheimer | 3h00m | 19.50 million | 9.9 | Raj Kapoor Katy Mullan |
| 97th | 2024 | Sunday, March 2, 2025 | Anora | 3h50m | 19.69 million | 9.1 | Conan O'Brien |
| 98th | 2025 | Sunday, March 15, 2026[10] | — | — | — | — |