6 Best Oscar Best Picture Winners of the 2000s

By Vlad Zakh · June 15, 2026

Drama thought provokingintense

The Academy Award for Best Picture in the 2000s crowned a decade of sweeping epics, gritty crime dramas, and searing character studies.

The Hurt Locker (2008) 01

The Hurt Locker (2008)

IMDb ★ 7.4

An elite Army bomb disposal team navigates the constant, life-threatening danger of the Iraq War.

The Departed (2006) 02

The Departed (2006)

IMDb ★ 8.2

An undercover cop and a mob informant within the police force race to expose each other before it's too late.

Million Dollar Baby (2004) 03

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

IMDb ★ 7.9

An aging boxing trainer reluctantly takes on a determined female fighter, forming an unbreakable bond.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 04

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

IMDb ★ 8.5

The final battle for Middle-earth unfolds as a hobbit carries an ancient burden to its fiery destruction.

Chicago (2002) 05

Chicago (2002)

IMDb ★ 7.1

Two rival murderesses compete for fame and a lighter sentence in the media circus of 1920s Chicago.

Gladiator (2000) 06

Gladiator (2000)

IMDb ★ 8.2

A betrayed Roman general fights his way up through the ranks of gladiators to seek revenge against the emperor who wronged him.

Vlad Zakh

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix, built to fix a specific annoyance: most recommendation sites are just algorithm-driven noise. Our lists are researched and organized by who's in a film, where it's from, and the mood you're actually in tonight.