With the Best Picture nomination for Don’t Look Up, Leonardo DiCaprio now has a total of ten films nominated for the major award on Oscar night. This puts him in a tie with Jack Nicholson for second place behind Robert De Niro’s 11 nominations (Cate Blanchett now has nine nominations, the highest among women).
The ten films for which DiCaprio was nominated include collaborations with some of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and four of the films earned DiCaprio acting nominations. They’re all above $75 million in the budget, with two of them going on to win Best Picture. DiCaprio’s ten Best Picture nominations are shown here, ordered by their IMDb ratings.
10. Don’t Look Up (2021)
Don’t Look Up is DiCaprio’s tenth Academy Award nomination, and his first collaboration with Adam McKay, the filmmaker of The Big Short. The film is a spoof on the public’s response to climate change (or lack thereof). DiCaprio, who is concerned about the environment, and the director of Anchorman appear to be a good match for such a project.
Unfortunately, of DiCaprio’s nominated films, Don’t Look Up is the poorest. It has grossed less than $2 million and is rated “Rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes. Even if you include in a Netflix release and a pandemic situation, that’s still more than $190 million less than the second highest-earning. On IMDb, it has a 7.2 rating.
9. The Aviator (2004)
Howard Hughes, a filmmaker-turned-airline businessman, is the subject of Leo’s second film with Martin Scorsese, which depicts his commercial successes and personal failings. By filming each segment to look like film stock from each age, Scorsese follows Hughes’ quest for technical advancement. The Aviator received 11 Academy Award nominations, the most of any film in 2005, and won five of them.
In his Oscar-nominated lead performance, DiCaprio’s ability for obsessive attention is on the full show (he lost to Jamie Foxx riding his Ray avalanche). Howard has forward momentum, which is aided by DiCaprio’s zeal. IMDb rating: 7.5.
8. Gangs Of New York (2002)
Martin Scorsese’s debut collaboration with Leonardo DiCaprio portrays the story of 19th-century gang wars in Manhattan’s Five Points neighborhood. Leo plays the vengeful Amsterdam Vallon, the son of an Irish Catholic man murdered by Daniel Day-Lewis’ Protestant ethno-nationalist “Bill the Butcher.”
Day-Lewis’ commanding performance commanded the screen, as is typical of the renowned actor, and 26-year-old DiCaprio has not yet reached the stage in his career where he could contest such a performance. IMDb gives Gangs Of New York a 7.5.
7. Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood
Quentin Tarantino’s Tinsel Town hangout flick is so charismatically lazy in its attitude that it even goes to the lengths of erasing a mass murder from history since it contradicts the vibes. And DiCaprio’s elderly actor Rick Dalton appears frequently, particularly in his interactions with Oscar winner Brad Pitt.
Although he lost the Best Actor prize to Joaquin Phoenix, DiCaprio’s performance in this film is a highlight of his career. At the very least, he was immortalized as a meme. Once upon a time, there was a time when… On IMDb, Hollywood has a 7.6 rating.
6. Titanic (1997)
The classic mega-hit of the 1990s was James Cameron’s epic romance set on an ocean liner that would never reach its destination. Before Titanic, DiCaprio was a well-known figure, but his arrogant, gorgeous Jack Dawson, together with his fantastic chemistry with Kate Winslet, catapulted him into teen idol superstardom.
Titanic is not just DiCaprio’s sole billion-dollar grosser, but it is also his most well-known picture on Oscar night, with fourteen nominations and eleven wins, tying records. DiCaprio, on the other hand, was passed over for a nomination and chose to skip the event as a result. On IMDb, Titanic has a 7.8 rating.
5. The Revenant (2015)
Birdman, Alejandro G. Iárritu’s follow-up to 2014’s Best Picture winner, follows the true survival tale of Hugh Glass, a mountain man, and tracker who is left for dead by his colleagues after running into a grizzly bear. DiCaprio slept in animal corpses and ate raw bison liver in preparation for his role as Glass, and his reaction is depicted in the film.
All of your hard work paid off. DiCaprio finally won an Oscar at the 2016 Academy Awards, twenty-one years after his first nomination. The film itself was not so fortunate, losing out to Spotlight for the top award. On IMDb, The Revenant has an 8.0 rating.
4. The Wolf Of Wall Street (2013)
As Jordan Belfort, the unreliable narrator of his own narrative, in his sixth collaboration with Martin Scorsese, DiCaprio appears to be having the time of his life. The film is a glittering, opulent extravaganza, with a cabal of Wall Street brokers sucking up money, cocaine, and the dignity of the individuals they prey on.
DiCaprio is nominated for his fourth Oscar for his performance, but he loses to Matthew McConaughey, his Wolf Of Wall Street co-star. It’s a pity because he gave us the Quaalude crawl in the first place. IMDb has an 8.2 rating for The Wolf Of Wall Street.
3. Django Unchained (2012)
Despite playing antiheroes on occasion, DiCaprio seldom plays pure villains. The main exception is Quentin Tarantino’s pre-Civil War Deep South western. Calvin Candie (DiCaprio) is a slaver who keeps Broomhilda (Kerry Washington), the wife of the titular Django (Jamie Foxx), and Candie handles her freedom negotiations like a casino game, with Candie always winning.
In Tarantino’s floridly violent account of the slavery system, DiCaprio hams it up. The Academy gave the picture a nomination and Christoph Waltz a prize, but DiCaprio did not get anything this year. On IMDb, Django Unchained has an 8.4 rating.
2. The Departed (2006)
Martin Scorsese would ultimately win Best Director in 2007 with The Departed, the year’s Best Picture winner, 26 years after his first nomination. Although DiCaprio plays a key role in the ensemble criminal thriller, the film’s success is largely down to its director, who is working with the actor for the third time.
However, DiCaprio did not go unnoticed at that year’s Academy Awards. For his portrayal in Blood Diamond, he was nominated for Best Actor but lost to Forest Whitaker. On IMDb, The Departed has an 8.5 rating.
1. Inception (2010)
Through Christopher Nolan’s dream world movie, DiCaprio plays the role of navigator and tour guide. To depict the staggered perception of dreams, Nolan employs practical effects such as spinning halls and unique editing. The result is an exhilarating journey through many dream levels, all anchored by the famous picture of a spinning top.
Inception was a huge hit when the film came out in the summer of 2010, grossing $836.8 million worldwide. The next year, the Academy honors it with eight nominations and four awards, including Best Visual Effects. On IMDb, Inception has an 8.8 rating.
