VegasSlotsOnline\u00a0looked at betting odds data from Sports Odds History to determine the biggest Best Picture underdog winners in Oscars history. Brianna Zigler<\/em><\/p>\n For fans of the Oscars, the most exciting moments at the Academy Awards occur when something unexpected happens. Sure, a year like the recent 2024 ceremony, where \u201cOppenheimer\u201d took the top prizes as expected, is satisfying for fans of the film, but isn\u2019t it more exciting when things go unexpectedly awry?<\/p>\n Who could forget the now-infamous snafu of 2017 when Faye Dunaway, accompanied on stage by Warren Beatty, made the mistake of announcing \u201cLa La Land\u201d as the recipient of Best Picture when the award actually went to indie underdog \u201cMoonlight\u201d? Chaos, amusingly and unforgettably, ensued. And while, by and large, the Oscars are usually not quite that dramatic, upsets do inspire rage, bewilderment, and awe for both viewers at home and inside awards voting bodies; for example, \u201cShakespeare in Love\u201d winning over \u201cSaving Private Ryan\u201d back in 1999 is still, to this day, looked back on by many with comic embarrassment.<\/p>\n However, some Oscars upsets are more than welcomed within an antiquated institution that could always use some shaking up: case in point, \u201cThe Shape of Water\u2019s\u201d win in 2018, and when \u201cParasite\u201d became the first non-English language film to win the night\u2019s top prize.<\/p>\n To determine the biggest Best Picture underdog winners in Oscars history, VegasSlotsOnline looked at betting odds data from Sports Odds History for all Best Picture-nominated films dating back to 1974. The winners were then isolated and ranked by their odds to win, spotlighting the 10 that had the worst chance going into the awards ceremony.<\/p>\n Read on to see which films were the most surprising Best Picture winners, beating the odds and cementing their place in history.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Guillermo del Toro A film about a woman falling in love and having an intimate relationship with an anthropomorphic amphibian-man doesn\u2019t exactly scream \u201cOscar winner,\u201d and yet that\u2019s exactly what happened back in 2018. Guillermo del Toro\u2019s dark fantasy romance follows a lonely mute custodian (Sally Hawkins) at a top-secret government lab who cultivates a bond with a creature (Doug Jones) who has been captured and is being experimented on in the 1960s. Ultimately, she must work to save him from his demise at the hands of a ruthless colonel (Michael Shannon).<\/p>\n An incredibly beautiful, unique, if also undeniably universal, love story of acceptance and connection, the film received critical and audience acclaim, so its nomination for Best Picture at the Academy Awards was more than deserved. However, stiff competition from films with timely social commentary\u2014like \u201cThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri\u201d and \u201cGet Out\u201d\u2014made the film\u2019s top prize win all the more surprising. It became the second fantasy film to win Best Picture, following \u201cThe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Bong Joon Ho The \u201cParasite\u201d victory at the 2020 Oscars was an unexpected, but welcomed, surprise that year. Bong Joon-Ho\u2019s Korean-language darkly comedic thriller made history by snagging both Best International Feature Film and Best Picture, becoming the first film to do so. The years leading up to this win were marked by a concerted effort to confront issues of racial and gender disparities within the film industry, and awarding the industry\u2019s top prize to a Korean film was seen as a much-needed step in the right direction.<\/p>\n The film centers on the working-class Kim family, who infiltrate the wealthy Park family by taking on a number of household service jobs in order to make as much money off them as possible\u2014but their plan develops a wrinkle when they discover a dark secret lurking in the Park family\u2019s basement.<\/p>\n At the 2020 Oscars, \u201cParasite\u201d was up against a number of heavy hitters, such as \u201cJojo Rabbit,\u201d \u201cThe Irishman,\u201d \u201cOnce Upon a Time\u2026 in Hollywood,\u201d and \u201cLittle Women.\u201d However, the front-runners were considered to be \u201cParasite\u201d and the World War I drama \u201c1917,\u201d the latter being the more Academy-friendly film\u2014no pesky subtitles to have to read in order to understand the story. In the end, however, reading comprehension prevailed.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Clint Eastwood A veteran boxing trainer (Clint Eastwood) in LA doesn\u2019t let anyone get too close to him until he reluctantly takes on the task of coaching a female boxing hopeful named Maggie (Hilary Swank). In the end, their time together yields a meaningful bond in a tragic story that managed to sway critics and Academy voters, win at the box office, and take the top prize at the 2005 Academy Awards.<\/p>\n Eastwood\u2019s film\u2014which he directed, starred in, co-produced, and created the score for\u2014received positive reviews and did well with audiences. Nevertheless, on Oscar night, it looked like Martin Scorsese\u2019s Howard Hughes biopic \u201cThe Aviator\u201d was going to clinch Oscar gold, as it had already taken home a healthy five awards before Best Picture was announced.<\/p>\n \u201cMillion Dollar Baby,\u201d however, received some backlash from disability rights activists for the handling of the film\u2019s ending, in which Maggie becomes paralyzed from the neck down after a serious injury and decides to end her life (implying the idea it\u2019s better to be euthanized than live with a disability at all). Despite this, the film\u2019s heart-string-tugging narrative won over the awards bodies and beat out the other four nominees, which, aside from \u201cThe Aviator,\u201d included \u201cSideways,\u201d \u201cFinding Neverland,\u201d and \u201cRay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Paul Haggis Several interconnected stories are woven together in this narrative that meditates on race, class, gender, and other timely social themes in writer-director Paul Haggis\u2019s sprawling drama \u201cCrash.\u201d Although a hit at the box office and generally favorable among critics, \u201cCrash\u201d is now widely considered one of the least-deserving Best Picture Oscar wins of all time. The film\u2019s Best Picture victory was considered an upset win back in 2006, up against the fan and critical favorite \u201cBrokeback Mountain,\u201d alongside \u201cMunich,\u201d \u201cCapote,\u201d and \u201cGood Night, and Good Luck\u201d at the 78th Academy Awards.<\/p>\n It was such a shocking win on the night of the ceremony that even presenter Jack Nicholson seemed rattled by the name that he had to read out as the Best Picture winner. Ultimately, \u201cCrash\u201d was considered by some to be the \u201csafe pick,\u201d as opposed to the groundbreaking depiction of a gay romance in \u201cBrokeback Mountain,\u201d which was directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee. The backlash to the \u201cCrash\u201d win was swift and incisive and still lingers in the years since.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Peter Farrelly Although it\u2019s been criticized extensively for the way the narrative handles racial and social commentary, the feel-good \u201cGreen Book\u201d from comedy director Peter Farrelly was nevertheless the big winner on the night of the 91st Academy Awards. The film chronicles the real-life relationship between Black jazz musician Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali) and his white driver Frank Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen), who learn to bond despite their cultural and socioeconomic differences.<\/p>\n But the backlash to the \u201cGreen Book\u201d win was the shot heard \u2019round Hollywood, with some feeling that \u201cGreen Book\u201d went so far as to unseat \u201cCrash\u201d as the worst Best Picture winner of all time. The film received both positive and negative reviews, with criticism leveled towards its simplistic tackling of racial prejudice while focusing on the redemption arc of a racist white character.<\/p>\n Many have gone on to speculate that perceived front-runner \u201cRoma,\u201d by Mexican director Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n, was doomed from the start for the simple reason that the film was distributed by Netflix, and the Academy seemed to have a steadfast opposition towards giving Best Picture to a streaming film\u2014at least until Apple TV+\u2019s \u201cCODA\u201d won the top prize a few years later.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Francis Ford Coppola In the sequel to Francis Ford Coppola\u2019s classic crime film, the early life of Don Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) is charted from his humble beginnings in Sicily to taking over Hell\u2019s Kitchen, New York, as his journey is juxtaposed with the present-day issues facing his son, Michael (Al Pacino). \u201cThe Godfather Part II\u201d is often referred to as the best of the trilogy, not to mention one of the best films of all time.<\/p>\n However, despite its Best Picture win at the 47th Academy Awards and its enduring legacy, the film was actually divisive among critics at the time of its release and was unable to surpass the first installment at the box office. That\u2019s probably why it came as a bit of a surprise when \u201cThe Godfather Part II\u201d was awarded the Academy\u2019s top prize, beating out heavy-hitters \u201cChinatown\u201d and \u201cThe Conversation\u201d in particular\u2014the latter of which, coincidentally, was also directed by Coppola. However, the film eventually received critical reevaluation and it has cemented its place in cinematic history.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Woody Allen It is rare that a comedy film is awarded Best Picture at the Oscars; among the nearly 100 ceremonies that have taken place, only about 20 films within the genre have ever taken the top prize, starting with \u201cIt Happened One Night\u201d back in 1934. And while it\u2019s perhaps rarer for a science fiction film to be in serious awards contention, when Woody Allen\u2019s \u201cAnnie Hall\u201d was up against the newly-minted phenomenon known as \u201cStar Wars\u201d in 1978, it was even more of a shocker that the comedy won.<\/p>\n Allen\u2019s film follows neurotic comedian Alvy Singer (Allen) as he looks back on what happened to his meaningful romantic relationship with a nightclub singer named Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). While it competed for Best Picture at the 50th Academy Awards against \u201cThe Goodbye Girl,\u201d \u201cJulia,\u201d and \u201cThe Turning Point,\u201d it was really neck and neck between the thoughtful dramedy flick and George Lucas\u2019 space opera. While Time magazine dubbed \u201cStar Wars\u201d to be the movie of the year at the time, it was \u201cAnnie Hall\u201d that took home all the top prizes at the Oscars, including Best Director and Best Original Screenplay, while \u201cStar Wars\u201d took home a handful of technical achievement awards.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Tom McCarthy On the night of the Academy Awards in 2016, all eyes were looking at Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu\u2019s \u201cThe Revenant\u201d to snag the award for Best Picture. The film was a dark, gripping tale of survival and sacrifice, featuring a lead role played brilliantly by Leonardo DiCaprio. DiCaprio was poised to finally earn the Best Actor Oscar that fans and critics had been hoping he\u2019d win for years\u2014and their wish came true; naturally, this seemed to only indicate the inevitable Best Picture win for his film.<\/p>\n Yet in a major upset, the film that ended up taking the night\u2019s highest honor was the procedural crime drama \u201cSpotlight.\u201d The story followed the real-life journalism team at The Boston Globe who investigated numerous allegations against a local priest, only to reveal a sickening history of child sexual abuse and cover-ups throughout the Roman Catholic Church. The immediate fallout from the win was largely comprised of shock and confusion, as the other predicted front-runner for the award was Adam McKay\u2019s \u201cThe Big Short.\u201d The highly acclaimed \u201cSpotlight\u201d was a dark horse in the Best Picture race but was ultimately a rather safe choice and felt \u201cmore Oscar-y,\u201d as Vox described it.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Barry Jenkins In one of the most memorable Oscars night gaffes of all time, legendary actors Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway arrived on stage only to incorrectly read out the purported Best Picture winner\u2014creating an awards snafu for the ages. Within mere moments of announcing Damien Chazelle\u2019s musical \u201cLa La Land\u201d as the night\u2019s top prize winner, and allowing the \u201cLa La Land\u201d cast and crew on the stage to accept their award, it was shockingly revealed that Beatty and Dunaway were handed the wrong envelope, and \u201cMoonlight\u201d was the rightful honoree of Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards ceremony.<\/p>\n The moment has gone down as an infamous moment in Oscars history, although it was less a surprise that \u201cMoonlight\u201d won and more of a surprise as to exactly how the night went down. The film was a critical darling, and alongside \u201cLa La Land,\u201d the two films were the front-runners of that year\u2019s ceremony, though \u201cLa La Land\u201d certainly had a stronger advantage. While \u201cLa La Land\u201d was starting to receive some backlash as the awards season dragged on, it still would have made sense as a Best Picture winner: a safe, pleasing ode to Old Hollywood. Ultimately, \u201cMoonlight\u201d\u2014a coming-of-age story about a gay Black man\u2014taking the win was a major groundbreaking moment in the Academy\u2019s history.<\/p>\n \u2013 Director: Mel Gibson When the love of his life is brutally murdered, medieval Scotsman William Wallace (Mel Gibson) is spurred into action against the English rule, gathering his army and threatening to topple the throne of the king. Gibson\u2019s epic historical war drama was received well among both critics and audiences, long before the actor and director got himself embroiled in hot water for a number of personal controversies.<\/p>\n However, \u201cBraveheart\u201d winning Best Picture at the Oscars was a major upset in 1996 when it beat out Ron Howard\u2019s \u201cApollo 13\u201d for Best Picture. Howard\u2019s docudrama about the disaster of the Apollo 13 lunar mission was the front-runner of the evening and had actually surpassed \u201cBraveheart\u201d in terms of critical and box-office success. Among the other Best Picture nominees were \u201cBabe,\u201d \u201cThe Postman,\u201d and \u201cSense and Sensibility.\u201d While the Directors and Producers Guilds had designated \u201cApollo 13\u201d as their top film of the year, in the end, Hollywood A-listers are suckers for a big, bloody historical epic.<\/p>\n Data reporting by Luke Hicks. Story editing by\u00a0Cynthia Rebolledo. Copy editing by Tim Bruns. Photo selection by Clarese Moller.<\/em><\/p>\n \nThis story originally appeared on VegasSlotsOnline and was produced and The 10 most shocking underdog wins at the Oscars, based on odds VegasSlotsOnline\u00a0looked at betting odds data from Sports Odds History to determine the biggest Best Picture…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2288,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[246,3359,3358,3356,3357,3187],"yoast_head":"\n
\n– Al Seib \/ Los Angeles Times \/\/ Getty Images<\/small><\/em><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/analytics.stacker.com\/tracking\/3b947497-6a16-45f8-89b7-c645da7eba0f\/pixel.gif?source=feed\"){kind=tracking}
![\"Filmmaker](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages927342610ZP1Wjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nAlberto E. Rodriguez \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#10. The Shape of Water (2017)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +167
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 7.3
\u2013 Metascore: 87
\u2013 Run time: 123 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Bong](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages1205191585863Wjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nRachel Luna \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#9. Parasite (2019)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +173
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 8.5
\u2013 Metascore: 97
\u2013 Run time: 132 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages52252378A7VJjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nFrank Micelotta \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#7. Million Dollar Baby (2004) (tie)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +200
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 8.1
\u2013 Metascore: 86
\u2013 Run time: 132 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Paul](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages57005759CEXSjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nROBYN BECK\/AFP \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#7. Crash (2004) (tie)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +200
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 7.7
\u2013 Metascore: 66
\u2013 Run time: 112 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Jim](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages11319438430VYEjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nFrazer Harrison \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#6. Green Book (2018)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +210
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 8.2
\u2013 Metascore: 69
\u2013 Run time: 130 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Francis](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages562766043G972jpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nMichael Ochs Archives \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#4. The Godfather Part II (1974) (tie)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +300
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 9.0
\u2013 Metascore: 90
\u2013 Run time: 202 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Diane](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages105862240R2TEjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nRon Galella Collection \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#4. Annie Hall (1977) (tie)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +300
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 8.0
\u2013 Metascore: 92
\u2013 Run time: 93 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Rachel](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages512963632VSYTjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nKevin Winter \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#3. Spotlight (2015)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +350
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 8.1
\u2013 Metascore: 93
\u2013 Run time: 129 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Actor](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages645702830DON9jpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nFrazer Harrison \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#2. Moonlight (2016)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +430
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 7.4
\u2013 Metascore: 99
\u2013 Run time: 111 minutes<\/p>\n![\"Mel](\"https:\/\/static.stacker.com\/s3fs-public\/styles\/1280x720\/s3\/croppedGettyImages51584451D92Kjpg.JPEG\")
<\/p>\nKIM KULISH\/AFP \/\/ Getty Images<\/h5>\n
#1. Braveheart (1995)<\/h2>\n
\u2013 Odds: +600
\u2013 IMDb user rating: 8.3
\u2013 Metascore: 68
\u2013 Run time: 178 minutes<\/p>\n
distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.<\/em>\n<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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#shocking #underdog #wins #Oscars #based #odds<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"