The last 43 Oscar best-picture winners, ranked from lowest budget to highest

• A range of highly expensive to low-budget films have won the best picture Oscar throughout its history.
• Based on budget data from IMDB Pro, and then adjusted for inflation, we ranked the last 43 best picture winners based on their budget, from lowest to highest.

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There is no special formula to win the best picture Oscar – at least when it comes to money.

Films that range from low-budget indie flicks (“Moonlight,” “The Artist”) to high-budget blockbusters (“Titanic,” “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”) have won the Oscar for best picture throughout history.

And that’s reflected in this year’s nominees as well – from Christopher Nolan’s $US100 million war epic, “Dunkirk,” to Luca Guadagnino’s $US4 million 1980s romantic drama “Call Me by Your Name.”

Based on budget data from IMDB Pro, and then adjusted for inflation using an inflation calculator, we’ve ranked the last 43 best picture winners from lowest budget to highest budget.

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43. “Moonlight” (2016)

Initial budget: $US4 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US4.13 million

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42. “Rocky” (1976)

Initial budget: $US960,000

Adjusted for inflation: $US4.18 million

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41. “Crash” (2005)

Initial budget: $US6.5 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US8.2 million

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40. “Platoon” (1986)

Initial budget: $US6 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US13.5 million

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39. “Driving Miss Daisy” (1989)

Initial budget: $US7.5 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US14.991 million

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38. “Chariots of Fire” (1981)

Initial budget: $US7.5 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US14.997 million

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37. “Annie Hall” (1977)

Initial budget: $US4 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US16.36 million

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36. “The Artist” (2011)

Initial budget: $US15 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US16.5 million

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35. “The King’s Speech” (2010)

Initial budget: $US15 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US17.05 million

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34. “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008)

Initial budget: $US15 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US17.26 million

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33. “The Hurt Locker” (2009)

Initial budget: $US15 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US17.3 million

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32. “Ordinary People” (1980)

Initial budget: $US6 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US18.04 million

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31. “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)”

Initial budget: $US18 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US18.84 million

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30. “Terms of Endearment” (1983)

Initial budget: $US8 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US19.9 million

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29. “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975)

Initial budget: $US4.4 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US20.27 million

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28. “Spotlight” (2015)

Initial budget: $US20 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US20.91 million

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27. “12 Years a Slave” (2013)

Initial budget: $US20 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US21.28 million

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26. “American Beauty” (1999)

Initial budget: $US15 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US22.3 million

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25. “Unforgiven” (1992)

Initial budget: $US14 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US24.73 million

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24. “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979)

Initial budget: $US8 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US27.31 million

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23. “No Country for Old Men” (2007)

Initial budget: $US25 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US29.88 million

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22. “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991)

Initial budget: $US19 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US34.57 million

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21. “Schindler’s List” (1993)

Initial budget: $US22 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US37.73 million

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20. “Shakespeare in Love” (1999)

Initial budget: $US25 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US38.01 million

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19. “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)

Initial budget: $US30 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US39.36 million

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18. “Dances with Wolves” (1990)

Initial budget: $US22 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US41.72 million

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17. “The English Patient” (1996)

Initial budget: $US27 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US42.65 million

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16. “Amadeus” (1984)

Initial budget: $US18 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US42.94 million

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15. “Argo” (2012)

Initial budget: $US44 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US47.5 million

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14. “The Last Emperor” (1987)

Initial budget: $US23 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US50.18 million

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13. “Rain Man” (1988)

Initial budget: $US25 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US52.38 million

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12. “Gandhi” (1982)

Initial budget: $US22 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US56.5 million

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11. “The Deer Hunter” (1978)

Initial budget: $US15 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US57.02 million

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10. “Chicago” (2002)

Initial budget: $US45 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US62 million

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9. “The Godfather Part II” (1974)

Initial budget: $US13 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US65.36 million

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8. “Out of Africa” (1985)

Initial budget: $US31 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US71.41 million

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7. “A Beautiful Mind” (2001)

Initial budget: $US58 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US81.22 million

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6. “Forrest Gump” (1994)

Initial budget: $US55 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US91.98 million

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5. “The Departed” (2006)

Initial budget: $US90 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US110 million

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4. “Braveheart” (1995)

Initial budget: $US72 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US117 million

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3. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)

Initial budget: $US94 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US126 million

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2. “Gladiator” (2000)

Initial budget: $US103 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US148 million

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1. “Titanic” (1997)

Initial budget: $US200 million

Adjusted for inflation: $US308 million

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