The 93rd annual Academy Awards came and went with no shortage of excitement, and “Nomadland” became the 93rd film to be honored with the Academy’s most prestigious award, for Best Picture. You’re certainly not alone if hearing those stats made you wonder how many of the other 93 you’ve seen. The Oscars often rekindle our interest in Hollywood history, regardless of whether you’re a casual viewer or a die hard cinephile. And watching the Best Picture winners is a great way to take a crash course in film history, so we rounded up a selection of box sets for you to get started. The awards are highly subjective, and some of the recipients inspired controversy, but all 93 winners were, at the very least, culturally significant. For seasoned Best Picture collectors, this week’s first order of business is picking up a copy of “Nomadland” (you can do that here!). But if you’re starting from scratch, there are some fantastic box sets that compile the most significant Best Picture winners. From screwball comedies to modern thrillers, these collections span a variety of genres. Shop the box sets below and get ready to start your marathon. After all, you have a lot of movies to get through! For more movie box sets, check out these Criterion Collection releases.
Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film Collection: Best Pictures
It’s hard to think of a better way to start an Oscar Blu-ray collection than with this box set from Warner Bros. From “Gone with the Wind” and “Casablanca” to “Million Dollar Baby” and “The Departed,” this box sets allows you to indulge in pretty much every era of Hollywood history. Other highlights from the studio include “Ben-Hur,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” Plus, it’s currently on sale for nearly $70 off!
Columbia Best Pictures Collection (11 Feature Films)
The 11 films in this collection of Best Picture winners have a combined 64 Oscars between them. With movies ranging from classic comedies like “It Happened One Night” to epics like “Lawrence of Arabia,” everyone in your house is sure to find something they like. This box set definitely leans towards Old Hollywood, with 1982’s “Gandhi” being the most recent title. But if you love classic cinema and have been keeping up on your new releases, this might be a perfect choice.
20th Century Fox Best Picture Collection
This compact collection gets you five Best Picture winners from 20th Century Fox for less than the cost of one new release on Blu-ray. “The Sound of Music,” “All About Eve,” “Gentleman’s Agreement,” “The French Connection,” and “How Green Was My Valley” are all must-own classics, so this should be an easy buy.
MGM Best Picture Gift Set
There are some Oscar winners that feel like homework to watch, and then there’s “Rocky” and “The Silence of the Lambs.” This four-movie set, which also contains “Platoon” and “Dances with Wolves,” is full of some of the most entertaining Best Picture recipients.
The Best Picture Collection
Movie lovers looking for a trip down memory lane through the ’90s and ’00s might enjoy this collection of four best picture winners on Blu-ray. It includes “The English Patient,” “Shakespeare In Love,” “Chicago,” and “The King’s Speech,” so it’s great for anyone who loves period pieces. Grabbing any one of those movies for less than $20 would be a deal, but all four is definitely too good to pass up.
MGM Best of Award Winners Blu-ray Collection
From Scorsese to Stallone, this collection from MGM celebrates the historic studio’s impeccable awards season record. It features nine classics that you’ll want to revisit again and again, including “Thelma and Louise,” “Midnight Cowboy,” “Raging Bull,” “Leaving Las Vegas,” “In The Heat of the Night,” “Rain Man,” “Dead Man Walking,” “Dances with Wolves,” and “Rocky.” The beautiful box set should look great on any shelf, and it makes a great gift for fans of modern cinema.
Best of Warner Bros. 50 Film Collection
Hardcore collectors might drool at the sight of this epic box set, which features a whopping 50 Warner Bros. classics on pristine Blu-ray. Every film here is a classic, including 13 Best Picture winners, and plenty more that probably should have won. Sure, it’s not exclusively a Best Picture set, but you can’t go wrong with adding classics like “The Maltese Falcon” and “2001: A Space Odyssey” in your collection. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
