The best movie of 2015 on our list is The Revenant, which won three Oscars and grossed $533.6 million worldwide. Ten years on, we ranked six standout films from 2015 by Oscar wins, nominations and box office. Spotlight won Best Picture at the 88th Academy Awards, but these six are the ones we still recommend.
| Rank | Film | Oscars won / nominations | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Revenant | 3 / 12 | $533.6 million |
| 2 | Ex Machina | 1 / 2 | $38 million+ |
| 3 | The Martian | 0 / 7 | $653.6 million |
| 4 | Carol | 0 / 6 | $42.8 million |
| 5 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | 0 / 5 | $2.07 billion |
| 6 | Joy | 0 / 1 | $101.1 million |
1. The Revenant: 3 Oscars, $533.6 million
Alejandro G. Inarritu’s survival epic stars Leonardo DiCaprio as frontiersman Hugh Glass, with Tom Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson. It received 12 Oscar nominations at the 88th Academy Awards.
It won Best Director for Inarritu, his second straight win, Best Actor for DiCaprio, his first after five previous nominations, and Best Cinematography. Its worldwide gross was $533.6 million on a $135 million budget.
Most Oscar wins of the six, and the most nominations.
2. Ex Machina: 1 Oscar, $38 million+
Alex Garland’s directorial debut stars Domhnall Gleeson, Alicia Vikander and Oscar Isaac. A programmer tests a humanoid robot with the Turing test, and the film asks what artificial intelligence might look like.
It won Best Visual Effects at the 88th Academy Awards and Garland was nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The box office total passed $38 million on a $15 million budget.
One Oscar win, with the best return on budget of the six.
3. The Martian: 7 nominations, $653.6 million
Ridley Scott directed Matt Damon as an astronaut left behind on Mars, with Jessica Chastain, Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Damon’s dry humor carries a survival story.
It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, Best Sound Mixing and Best Visual Effects. Worldwide, it took in $653.6 million.
The most nominations among the films with no wins.
4. Carol: 6 nominations, $42.8 million
Todd Haynes directed this 1950s romantic drama starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, based on a Patricia Highsmith novel. It premiered at Cannes on May 17, 2015.
It received six Oscar nominations, including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, but missed Best Picture and Best Director, an omission many writers called a snub. Its total of $42.8 million came on an $11.8 million budget.
Six nominations, and the best-reviewed film of 2015 according to critics’ tallies.
5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: 5 nominations, $2.07 billion
J. J. Abrams directed the first Star Wars film distributed by Disney, set thirty years after Return of the Jedi. It brought back Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, and introduced Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver and John Boyega.
It was nominated for Film Editing, Original Score, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing and Visual Effects. The worldwide total reached $2.07 billion, and it broke numerous box office records.
The biggest hit of the six, but with fewer nominations than the others.
6. Joy: 1 nomination, $101.1 million
David O. Russell reunited Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in this biographical drama about Joy Mangano, with Robert De Niro. It was released on December 25, 2015.
Lawrence won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy and received her fourth Oscar nomination, making her the youngest person ever to do so. Joy made $101.1 million worldwide on a $60 million budget.
Its single Oscar nomination places it last.
Keep reading
- the most expensive Angelina Jolie movies: another list of big-budget films
FAQ
What was the best movie of 2015?
By Oscar results, The Revenant, which won Best Director, Best Actor and Best Cinematography. Spotlight won Best Picture.
Which 2015 movie made the most money?
Star Wars: The Force Awakens, with $2.07 billion worldwide.
Did The Martian win any Oscars?
No. It was nominated in seven categories, including Best Picture and Best Actor.
Which 2015 film won an Oscar for visual effects?
Ex Machina won Best Visual Effects at the 88th Academy Awards.
How did you rank the films?
We ranked them by Oscars won, then nominations, using awards and box office data. It is our own ranking.
How we put this list together
We ranked six 2015 films by Oscars won, then nominations, and listed worldwide box office as a second measure. Figures are from awards records and reported box office totals.
Last updated: October 2026.
