The 98th Academy Awards wrapped up on March 15, 2026, and Hollywood finally gave Paul Thomas Anderson the night he’s been waiting decades for.
The Big Winner: One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another won Best Picture at the 2026 Oscars. The film dominated the night, taking home six awards out of 13 nominations, including the coveted Best Picture prize.
This wasn’t just a great night – it was a historic one for Anderson. Prior to Sunday evening, Anderson had been nominated 11 times but never won. Eleven nominations. Zero wins. If that’s not a slow-burn revenge arc, nothing is.
He personally picked up three Oscars – Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Picture – in a victory lap that capped off an unpredictable awards season.
The Race That Kept Everyone Guessing
This year’s Best Picture race was genuinely nail-biting. Anderson’s film found itself in an increasingly tight race against Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster vampire film Sinners in the weeks leading up to the show.
Sinners had made Oscar history with 16 nominations – the most of any film ever – and followed with four wins on the night. Both films came from Warner Bros., making it a rare all-Warner Bros. showdown for the industry’s biggest prize.
In his acceptance speech, Anderson put the competition in beautiful perspective. “In 1975 the Oscar nominees were Dog Day Afternoon, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Jaws, Nashville, and Barry Lyndon,” he said. “There is no best among them. There is just what the mood might be that day.”
Honestly? That’s the most gracious thing anyone has said at the Oscars in years.
Full List of Major 2026 Oscar Winners
Here’s a quick breakdown of who took home gold at the 98th Academy Awards:
Best Picture – One Battle After Another
Best Director – Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best Actor – Michael B. Jordan, Sinners – playing twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s period vampire thriller
Best Actress – Jessie Buckley, Hamnet – completing her award season sweep after wins at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards, and BAFTAs
Best Supporting Actor – Sean Penn, One Battle After Another – his third career Oscar, though he was not present to accept the award
Best Supporting Actress – Amy Madigan, Weapons
Best Original Screenplay – Ryan Coogler, Sinners – his first-ever Oscar win
Best Adapted Screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best Cinematography – Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners – making history as the first woman and first woman of color to win in this category
Best Original Song – “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters – the first K-pop song ever to win this category
Best Casting (First-Ever Oscar) – Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle After Another – winner of the Academy’s first-ever achievement in casting award
A Night Full of Historic Moments
Beyond the big prizes, the 2026 Oscars set several records worth noting.
Sinners entered the night as the most-nominated film in Oscar history with 16 nominations. Warner Bros. dominated the entire ceremony, taking home 11 total Oscars – six for One Battle After Another, four for Sinners, and one for Weapons.
Netflix followed with seven wins, including three for Frankenstein and two for KPop Demon Hunters.
Host Conan O’Brien returned for a second year, taking the stage at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. He reportedly dressed as a character from Weapons for the opening segment – because when you’re Conan, why not?
Why One Battle After Another Deserved It
Awards season can sometimes feel like a political game. But this year, the best film arguably won.
Anderson’s campaign hinged on a simple argument: he ought to have been rewarded long ago, and One Battle After Another was so critically acclaimed that it deserved the top spot. After Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There Will Be Blood, and Phantom Thread, the Academy finally agreed.
Sometimes justice is just slow. Very, very slow.
