One Battle After Another Wins Best Picture at 2026 Oscars

The 98th Academy Awards celebrated some of the biggest achievements in cinema, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another winning the Best Picture award. The film also secured several other major honours, making it one of the biggest winners of the night.

The comic, multi-generational story about political resistance earned six Oscars, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Anderson. It also won Best Casting and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn, along with other awards.

For Anderson, the victory marked an important milestone in his career. Despite being one of Hollywood’s most respected filmmakers for decades, the director had never won an Oscar before this ceremony.

While accepting the screenplay award, Anderson said he wrote the film with the future in mind. He explained that the story was partly meant as a message to the next generation, encouraging them to bring “common sense and decency” to the world.

Michael B. Jordan Wins Best Actor

Michael B. Jordan won the Best Actor award in one of the closest races of the night. His win received one of the loudest standing ovations at the ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre.

In a light-hearted moment during his acceptance speech, Jordan greeted his mother from the stage, adding a personal touch to the emotional moment.

Jessie Buckley Wins Best Actress

The Best Actress award went to Jessie Buckley for her role as Agnes Shakespeare in Hamnet. With this win, Buckley became the first Irish performer to win the Best Actress Oscar.

During her speech, she dedicated the award to mothers, noting that the ceremony coincided with Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom.

Historic Win for Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw

The night also saw a historic achievement for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, the cinematographer of Sinners. She became the first female director of photography ever to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography and also the first Black person to win in the category.

Her emotional speech highlighted the importance of women working behind the camera, encouraging women in the film industry to keep pushing forward.

Major Wins for Sinners and Warner Bros.

The film Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, also had a strong night at the awards. The film entered the ceremony with 16 nominations and won several key awards, including cinematography.

Overall, Warner Bros. had a historic evening as its films One Battle After Another and Sinners together secured 11 Oscars, tying a record for the most wins by a studio in a single ceremony.

Netflix Wins With KPop Demon Hunters and Frankenstein

Streaming platform Netflix also celebrated big wins at the ceremony. The global hit KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for the track Golden. The film became a cultural phenomenon after its release on Netflix, recording over 325 million views worldwide.

Another Netflix project, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, won three technical awards, including Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Production Design.

Amy Madigan Wins After 40 Years

Veteran actor Amy Madigan won the Best Supporting Actress award for her role in the horror thriller Weapons. The win came four decades after her first Oscar nomination in 1986 for Twice in a Lifetime.

Madigan expressed her excitement on stage, celebrating the long-awaited recognition of her work.

Ceremony Hosted by Conan O’Brien

The ceremony was hosted by Conan O’Brien, who returned for the second time as host. His opening speech acknowledged the challenging global political climate but highlighted the role of cinema in bringing people together.

Several speeches during the event touched on global issues and the importance of artistic freedom, reflecting the changing cultural and political landscape.

Theatrical Films Continue to Lead Oscars

For another year, the Best Picture award went to a theatrical release rather than a streaming film. So far, only CODA has won Best Picture as a streaming release.

The blockbuster Avatar: Fire and Ash won the Best Visual Effects award, while the racing drama F1 took home the Best Sound Oscar.

The 98th Academy Awards ended on a hopeful note for the film industry, highlighting original storytelling and creative filmmaking at a time when Hollywood is facing major changes due to streaming growth and new technologies.