Where to watch
Each link opens a search on that service. Checked 14 October 2026.
Streaming data from JustWatch
The Big Short
2015
· Movie
· 130 min
A
MEANRANK
80/100
Where it ranks
- Mean Score #605
- IMDb #525
- Google retired #337
- Rotten Tomatoes #720
- Metacritic #473
- Letterboxd #942
+9 more
- Rotten Tomatoes Critics #1089
- Rotten Tomatoes Audience #744
- Metacritic Critics #610
- Metacritic Audience #476
- Criticker #620
- Douban #299
- Kinopoisk #1434
- AlloCiné #1145
- Trakt #581
Every rating
62–94
out of 100
In the mid-2000s, a few eccentric financiers discover the unstable foundations of the US housing market. They recognize that the entire system is built on high-risk subprime loans and decide to bet against the market. Their decision puts them at odds with the entire banking system, which refuses to believe a collapse is possible.
Details
- Director
- Adam McKay
- Writers
- Adam McKay, Charles Randolph
- Based on
- The Big Short by Michael Lewis
- Released
- 11 December 2015
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Runtime
- 130 min
- Rated
- R
- Budget
- $28.0M
- Box office
- $133.3M
- Awards
- 22 wins, 47 nominations
This title elsewhere
Cast
Full cast (95) →
Awards & nominations
See all 69 →6 major awards won · 22 wins from 69 nominations across 37 ceremonies
| Academy Awards 2016 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2016 | Best Actor in a Comedy | Christian Bale | Winner |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2016 | Best Comedy | The Big Short | Winner |
| Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2016 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Producers Guild of America Awards 2016 | Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Brad Pitt | Winner |
| Writers Guild of America Awards 2016 | Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Academy Awards 2016 | Best Director | Adam McKay | Nominee |
| Academy Awards 2016 | Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bale | Nominee |
Awards from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
More like this
C
67
Vice
B
70
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
C
68
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
A
82
La La Land
A
81
Little Miss Sunshine
B
77
My Cousin Vinny
B
75
The Way Way Back
B
75
Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
B
72
The King of Staten Island
C
68
Burn After Reading
C
67
Battle of the Sexes
C
66
Dan in Real Life
Beyond the numbers
All lists →
30 October 2026
Why Meryl Streep is the greatest actress of all time
The case rests on comedy, emotional precision, versatility and sustained achievement, tested against the strongest rival claims.
30 October 2026
Denzel Washington is more than an actor: a global Black cultural icon
How global visibility, artistic freedom and a commanding public presence gave his career a meaning that reaches beyond the films.
29 October 2026
TV shows with Black female leads: four series worth arguing about
Insecure, Queen Sugar, Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder, ranked for character writing, dramatic range and the lives they make room for.
29 October 2026
TV shows with the best song choices: five different ways to get it right
The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The O.C., Peaky Blinders and Euphoria: what their songs do beyond making a scene sound good.
29 October 2026
Five great TV scores—and the scenes that explain why
Twin Peaks, Succession, Game of Thrones, Westworld and Stranger Things, judged for what their original music does inside the drama.
9 October 2026
Sitcoms rated highest by Google users: our preserved scores
Twenty-five historical five-star records, with ties and recorded counts retained. An archive of collected responses, not Google's final official chart.
Just released
See all →
Coming soon
Trailer — The Big Short
×Full cast — The Big Short
×
69 awards — The Big Short
×
Critics' Choice Movie Awards
7 nominations, 3 won
| Best Actor in a Comedy | Christian Bale | Winner |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Best Comedy | The Big Short | Winner |
| Best Acting Ensemble | The Big Short | Nominee |
| Best Actor in a Comedy | Steve Carell | Nominee |
| Best Editing | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
| Best Picture | The Big Short | Nominee |
Academy Awards
5 nominations, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Best Director | Adam McKay | Nominee |
| Best Film Editing | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
| Best Picture | Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Brad Pitt | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bale | Nominee |
Producers Guild of America Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Theatrical Motion Picture | Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Brad Pitt | Winner |
Writers Guild of America Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
Golden Globe Awards
4 nominations
| Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Steve Carell | Nominee |
| Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | Christian Bale | Nominee |
| Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy | The Big Short | Nominee |
| Best Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Nominee |
Screen Actors Guild Awards
2 nominations
| Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Melissa Leo, Hamish Linklater, John Magaro, Brad Pitt, Rafe Spall, Jeremy Strong, Marisa Tomei, and Finn Wittrock | Nominee |
| Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | Christian Bale | Nominee |
Directors Guild of America Awards
1 nomination
| Best Director | Adam McKay | Nominee |
British Academy Film Awards
5 nominations, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Christian Bale | Nominee |
| Best Director | Adam McKay | Nominee |
| Best Editing | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
| Best Film | Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, and Brad Pitt | Nominee |
Chicago Film Critics Association
3 nominations, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Best Director | Adam McKay | Nominee |
| Best Editing | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
Florida Film Critics Circle
3 nominations, 1 won
| Best Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Best Cast | The Big Short | Nominee |
| Best Film | The Big Short | Nominee |
Georgia Film Critics Association
2 nominations, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
| Best Ensemble | The Big Short | Nominee |
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
2 nominations, 1 won
| Outstanding Director of the Year | Adam McKay | Winner |
| Artisan Award | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
Satellite Awards
2 nominations, 1 won
| Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bale | Winner |
| Best Film | The Big Short | Nominee |
American Cinema Editors Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Edited Feature Film – Comedy or Musical | Hank Corwin | Winner |
Casting Society of America
1 nomination, 1 won
| Feature Film Big Budget Comedy | Francine Maisler and Meagan Lewis | Winner |
Empire Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
Hollywood Film Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Breakthrough Director | Adam McKay | Winner |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Editing | Hank Corwin | Winner |
National Board of Review Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Ensemble | The Big Short | Winner |
New York Film Critics Online
1 nomination, 1 won
| Top Ten Films | The Big Short | Winner |
Palm Springs International Film Festival
1 nomination, 1 won
| Ensemble Cast Award | The Big Short | Winner |
Toronto Film Critics Association
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
USC Scripter Awards
1 nomination, 1 won
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Winner |
AACTA Awards
4 nominations
| Best Actor | Steve Carell | Nominee |
| Best International Direction | Adam McKay | Nominee |
| Best International Film | The Big Short | Nominee |
| Best Supporting Actor | Christian Bale | Nominee |
Alliance of Women Film Journalists
3 nominations
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Nominee |
| Best Ensemble Cast | The Big Short | Nominee |
| Best Film Editing | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
Austin Film Critics Association
2 nominations
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Nominee |
| Best Director | Adam McKay | Nominee |
Detroit Film Critics Society
2 nominations
| Best Ensemble | The Big Short | Nominee |
| Best Screenplay | Adam McKay and Charles Randolph | Nominee |
Cinema for Peace
1 nomination
| Most Valuable Film of the Year | The Big Short | Nominee |
Golden Trailer Awards
1 nomination
| Best Drama TV Spot | The Big Short | Nominee |
Houston Film Critics Society
1 nomination
| Best Picture | The Big Short | Nominee |
MTV Movie Awards
1 nomination
| True Story | The Big Short | Nominee |
Make–Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild
1 nomination
| Best Contemporary Makeup–Feature-Length Motion Picture | Julie Hewett and Pamela Westmore | Nominee |
San Diego Film Critics Society
1 nomination
| Best Ensemble | The Big Short | Nominee |
San Francisco Film Critics Circle
1 nomination
| Best Film Editing | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
St. Louis Film Critics Association
1 nomination
| Best Editing | Hank Corwin | Nominee |
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards
1 nomination
| Best Ensemble | The Big Short | Nominee |
World Soundtrack Awards
1 nomination
| Discovery of the Year | Nicholas Britell | Nominee |