Question
LOS ANGELES - JAN 9:  General Atmosphere at the 14th Governors Awards at the Dolby Ballroom on January 9, 2024 in Los Angeles, CA

What was the first movie to earn 10 Oscar nominations?

Last updated: January 23, 2026

"Titanic," "The Godfather Part II," and "The Lord of the Rings" all racked up double-digit Oscar nominations, and just this week, "Sinners" blew past them with a record-shattering 16. Alongside "One Battle After Another," that brings the total number of films to earn at least 10 nominations to 107. What was the first movie to earn 10 nominations at the Academy Awards?

Correct Answer: The Life of Emile Zola

(Source)

Warner Bros. might be up for sale these days, but whoever ends up buying it is getting a studio that just tied its all-time Oscar record with 30 nominations. The studio's Academy Award prestige goes all the way back to 1937 when "The Life of Emile Zola" became both the first film to earn 10 Oscar nominations and Warner Bros.' first Best Picture winner. It happened so long ago that an actual Warner brother was around to celebrate (three of them, actually).

To portray the French author Emile Zola at different ages throughout his life, Paul Muni grew out a full gray beard and the production filmed everything in reverse chronological order, trimming it down as they shot the younger scenes. No CGI required, just patience and a good razor.

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