The top honor, however, went to Paul Haggis' drama 'Crash,' forever staining the Oscars' reputation with this inexplicable surprise.
And yet, against 'Roma,' 'Black Panther,' 'BlacKkKlansman,' 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'The Favourite,' 'A Star Is Born,' and 'Vice,' Best Picture was awarded to 'Green Book.'
Even Olivia Colman was surprised when she was named Best Actress for her role in 'The Favourite.' She gave a shout-out to Glenn Close, adding, "This is not how I wanted it to be, and I think you’re amazing, and I love you very much."
See also: Surprising stars who've never won an Academy Award
Many believed that Alfonso Cuarón’s 'Roma' would make history both as the first Netflix film to win Best Picture and also as the first foreign-language film to surpass English contenders.
Receiving her seventh Oscar nomination, for her role in 'The Wife,' many thought Glenn Close would finally have her moment onstage at the Academy Awards. But they were wrong.
Winona Ryder's performance in Martin Scorsese's 'The Age of Innocence' seemed to be the favorite, with other strong contenders like Rosie Perez ('Fearless'), Emma Thompson ('In the Name of the Father'), and Holly Hunter ('The Firm') also vying for Best Supporting Actress.
Instead, 11-year-old Anna Paquin, a first-time actress in 'The Piano,' was announced as the winner. You can tell from this photo that it took her by surprise as well!
But it was Bong Joon-ho ('Parasite'), a South Korean director with a foreign language film who had never received an Oscar nod before, who took both top honors. He also made history as the first Asian filmmaker to receive Best Director, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature for one film.
With Hollywood favorites like Quentin Tarantino ('Once Upon a Time in Hollywood'), Martin Scorsese ('The Irishman'), and Sam Mendes ('1917') in the running, many placed their bets on the recurring greats.
The Academy Awards are one of Hollywood's most anticipated events, gathering the industry together to watch some of the greatest films of the year compete for elite titles. With so much variety to choose from, combined with the often wide discrepancy between audiences and Academy members, there have been more than a few unexpected results over the years.
This year, the biggest shock winner of the night was Sir Anthony Hopkins, who won the Best Actor award for his role in 'The Father.' Many viewers were surprised by the win, as it appears the category was moved to the end of the show in anticipation of a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. Even Hopkins did not show up to the ceremony, neither in person or via video, though the morning after he shared a video on social media addressing his win.
"At 83 years of age I did not expect to get this award, I really didn't," he said, standing outside his home in Wales. While he was grateful to the Academy, he maintained that he really did not think he was going to win, and he paid a short tribute to Boseman as well. Other nominees for the award included Riz Ahmed ('Sound of Metal'), Gary Oldman ('Mank'), and Steven Yeun ('Minari').
The shock was so widespread that people began drawing comparisons between the end of this year's Oscars with that of 2017, where the event ended on 'La La Land' accidentally being announced for Best Picture instead of actual winner 'Moonlight'—except this time there was no mistake.
Click through this gallery to see the biggest shock winners over the history of the Academy Awards. How many of these moments do you remember?
Anthony Hopkins and other shocking wins in Oscar history
The absent Best Actor winner says even he "really did not expect this"
MOVIES Academy awards
The Academy Awards are one of Hollywood's most anticipated events, gathering the industry together to watch some of the greatest films of the year compete for elite titles. With so much variety to choose from, combined with the often wide discrepancy between audiences and Academy members, there have been more than a few unexpected results over the years.
This year, the biggest shock winner of the night was Sir Anthony Hopkins, who won the Best Actor award for his role in 'The Father.' Many viewers were surprised by the win, as it appears the category was moved to the end of the show in anticipation of a tribute to the late Chadwick Boseman. Even Hopkins did not show up to the ceremony, neither in person or via video, though the morning after he shared a video on social media addressing his win.
"At 83 years of age I did not expect to get this award, I really didn't," he said, standing outside his home in Wales. While he was grateful to the Academy, he maintained that he really did not think he was going to win, and he paid a short tribute to Boseman as well. Other nominees for the award included Riz Ahmed ('Sound of Metal'), Gary Oldman ('Mank'), and Steven Yeun ('Minari').
The shock was so widespread that people began drawing comparisons between the end of this year's Oscars with that of 2017, where the event ended on 'La La Land' accidentally being announced for Best Picture instead of actual winner 'Moonlight'—except this time there was no mistake.
Click through this gallery to see the biggest shock winners over the history of the Academy Awards. How many of these moments do you remember?