With the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, we are revisiting how previous action franchises have fared at the Oscars. From Indiana Jones to Mad Max, we examine how some of the best-known action franchises have performed at the Academy Awards, spanning all films included in the franchise. 

The Indiana Jones Franchise

The original Indiana Jones film, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) changed the game for action franchises and became an awards darling over the course of 1982. While this franchise has a total of four movies, with the fifth one slated to release later this year, only three of the Spielberg franchise films have received Oscar attention, with Raiders fairing the best. 

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

WON: 
Best Art Direction
Best Film Editing
Best Sound
Best Sound Editing
Best Visual Effects

NOMINATED: 
Best Picture
Best Director 
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

WON: 
Best Visual Effects

NOMINATED: 
Best Original Score

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

WON: 
Best Sound Editing 

NOMINATED: 
Best Original Score

The Terminator Franchise

While Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), is the only film in the Terminator franchise to be nominated for an Oscar, it can boast four wins in technical categories. Terminator 2 made history at the 1992 Oscars as the first sequel to garner Oscar nominations from a franchise that had received no prior Oscar nominations. 

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

WON: 
Best Makeup
Best Sound
Best Sound Effects Editing
Best Visual Effects

NOMINATED: 
Best Cinematography
Best Film Editing

The Jurassic Park Franchise

The original Jurassic Park film was a critical and box office hit, making history as the highest grossing film of all time in 1993 and keeping that title for four years, until it was dethroned in 1997 by Titanic. While no subsequent Jurassic Park film, including the more recent Jurassic World films, have managed to perform as well as its originator, the franchise has seen some deserved attention from the Academy Awards. 

Jurassic Park (1993)

WON: 
Best Sound Effects Editing
Best Sound
Best Visual Effects

The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

NOMINATED: 
Best Visual Effects

The Matrix Franchise

Spanning over three films, The Matrix franchise has launched itself into pop culture legacy. The original The Matrix film won all four awards that it was nominated for at the 2000 Academy Awards, although no other film from the franchise has received Oscars attention. 

The Matrix (1999)

WON:
Best Film Editing
Best Sound
Best Sound Effects Editing
Best Visual Effects

The Mad Max Franchise

As the fourth and most recent installment, Max Max: Fury Road (2015) made history at the 2016 Academy Awards as the first film in the franchise to receive Oscar nominations. It managed to transcend technical categories – the norm for franchise films – and garner additional nominations including Best Picture and Best Director. However, it took home five Academy Awards in the technical categories. 

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

WON: 
Best Costume Design
Best Film Editing
Best Makeup and Hairstyling
Best Production Design
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing 

NOMINATED: 
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Cinematography
Best Visual Effects

Every year, the topic of adding a Stunts category is approached following a beautifully choreographed action film. This year will most likely have a heightened conversation with releases including John Wick: Chapter Four and also the latest Mission: Impossible film. How many of the above films would have contended in a ‘Best Stunts’ category? Likely most of them!