6 Best Oscar Best Picture Winners of the 2000s

By Vlad Zakh · June 15, 2026

The 2000s Best Picture winners mixed epics, crime dramas and searing character studies. The Hurt Locker has an Army bomb disposal team in Iraq, The Departed has an undercover cop and a mob informant racing to expose each other, and Million Dollar Baby has an aging trainer taking on a determined fighter. The Return of the King, Chicago and Gladiator round out the six.

The Hurt Locker (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.4

A bomb-disposal soldier's addiction to danger makes him both brilliant and reckless in the field.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow · 2h 11m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Departed (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 91% Metacritic 85

A remake that somehow out-tenses its own already tense source material.

Directed by Martin Scorsese · 2h 31m · Rated R

Won 4 Oscars100 wins & 141 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: HBO Max Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, HBO Max · Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

IMDb ★ 8.1 RT 90% Metacritic 86

A gruff boxing trainer reluctantly takes on a determined female fighter with nothing left to lose.

Directed by Clint Eastwood · 2h 12m · Rated PG-13

Won 4 Oscars68 wins & 86 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

IMDb ★ 9.0 RT 94% Metacritic 94

The final battle for Middle-earth unfolds as the fellowship's quest reaches its end.

Directed by Peter Jackson · 3h 21m · Rated PG-13

Won 11 Oscars215 wins & 124 nominations

Where to watch

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Chicago (2002)

IMDb ★ 7.2 RT 87% Metacritic 81

Two murderous nightclub performers compete for fame in Jazz Age Chicago's courtroom-as-showbiz circus.

Directed by Rob Marshall · 1h 53m · Rated PG-13

Won 6 Oscars60 wins & 129 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Gladiator (2000)

IMDb ★ 8.5 RT 80% Metacritic 67

A betrayed Roman general seeks vengeance on the corrupt emperor who murdered his family.

Directed by Ridley Scott · 2h 35m · Rated R

Won 5 Oscars61 wins & 105 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Kanopy, YouTube TV · Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Oscar Best Picture Winners of the 2000s

The Hurt Locker (2008)

The Departed (2006)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

Chicago (2002)

Gladiator (2000)

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