Every 1980s Best Picture Oscar Winner Ranked From Worst To Best

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

After the New Hollywood revolution of the mid-1960s and 1970s, the 1980s saw studios strip control from auteurs and hand it to executives. While the '70s was a downbeat decade, the '80s were all about fun, with escapist entertainment dominating multiplexes. The decade was a boon for the box office, with films racking up massive returns by catering to audiences hungry for thrills. Stars like Tom Cruise, Eddie Murphy, and Sylvester Stallone cashed in major paydays, while filmmakers like Steven Spielberg , George Lucas, and Robert Zemeckis kept their fingers squarely on the public's pulse. Throughout it all, the Academy Awards singled out what they determined to be the best films of the year, at times defying audience tastes and at ot