The three most commercial Oscar-wining films of the 1950s were: “Around the World in 80 Days” (1956), “The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957), and “Ben-Hur” (1959).

The Oscar's commercial value, as measured by box-office grosses, was not immense in the first two decades of the award's operation. In the 1930s, the average domestic rentals of an Oscarwinner was about $2 million, as was the case of Cimarron, the 1930-31 winner and the year's top money-maker.

Even when the Oscar Award doesn't turn the winning movies into blockbusters, it still has some effect. A case in point is Laurence's Olivier's Shakespearean adaptation of “Hamlet.” A success d'estime, “Hamlet” (1948) was initially intended for select audiences in the arthouse circuit in big cities like New York and Los Angeles.

A more dramatic Oscar impact was felt in 1947, when William Wyler's post-WWII drama, “The Best Years of Our Lives,” turned out to be the most commercial Oscar-winner of its time, grossing in domestic rentals over $11 million.

The first film to benefit directly from winning the Oscars, though not Best Picture, was John Ford's “The Informer” (1935), which opened to good reviews but was not popular at the box office, due to its grim subject matter. However, after winning four Oscars, the largest number of awards for any film in 1935, including Best Director and Best Actor (Victor McLaglen), “The Informer” was rereleased and became a hit.