Oscars 2026: The Winners and the Big Night of "One Battle After Another" and "Sinners"
The 98th Academy Awards are in the books, and Hollywood has a new number one. At the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, there was reckoning, laughter, and more than a few people talked a mile a minute. But who actually got to take home the coveted gold statue? Here's the complete rundown of the 2026 Oscar winners – and why this year's crop was so special, even for seasoned cinephiles.
The Night of the Epic: "One Battle After Another"
What a ride. Paul Thomas Anderson has done it again. His sweeping epic "One Battle After Another" was the night's big winner. With six trophies – including the heavy hitters like Best Picture and Best Director – the ensemble cast featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn reaped the rewards. Particularly moving: Sean Penn, who snagged the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role and got genuinely political in his speech. He didn't hold back on the current political climate in the U.S. It wasn't a dull thank-you speech; it was pure cinema.
The Record-Breaker: "Sinners" and Its Major Triumph
And then there was "Sinners." Ryan Coogler's film made history with a whopping 16 nominations – more than "Titanic" or "All About Eve." In the end, it took home only four Oscars, but some of the most prestigious ones. Michael B. Jordan grabbed the Oscar for Best Actor, beating out Timothée Chalamet ("Marty Supreme") and Leo DiCaprio. It also won gold for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. The score, by the way, comes from Sweden's Ludwig Göransson, earning him his second Oscar after "Oppenheimer." That name, of course, immediately connects to The World of Hans Zimmer here – even though Zimmer himself went home empty-handed this year, his spirit lives on brilliantly in the new generation of composers like Göransson.
The Night's Buzz: Where are Springsteen and Tarantino?
Let's get to the rumours and hopes that were circulating before the show. Sure, Bruce Springsteen – the Boss – didn't have a new song in the race. But his spirit loomed large over the evening. "One Battle After Another" is a deeply American epic that thematically fits Springsteen's blue-collar romanticism perfectly. You almost wish he had opened the night musically.
And Quentin Tarantino? He wasn't nominated either, but you can bet he was somewhere in the audience, sizing up the competition. After all, rumours are swirling that his final film is slowly taking shape. For film history buffs, it still felt like a Tarantino night: Paul Thomas Anderson's speech was filled with nods to the classics of the 20th century, and the crowd ate it up.
The Complete List of 2026 Winners
If you want to know exactly who won in the technical categories, here's the breakdown:
- Best Picture: "One Battle After Another"
- Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, "One Battle After Another"
- Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, "Sinners"
- Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, "Hamnet"
- Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, "One Battle After Another"
- Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, "Weapons"
- Best Original Screenplay: "Sinners"
- Best Adapted Screenplay: "One Battle After Another"
- Best Cinematography: "Sinners"
- Best Film Editing: "One Battle After Another"
- Best Production Design: "Frankenstein"
- Best Costume Design: "Frankenstein"
- Best Makeup and Hairstyling: "Frankenstein"
- Best Original Score: "Sinners" (Ludwig Göransson)
- Best Original Song: "Golden" from "KPop Demon Hunters"
- Best Sound: "F1: The Movie"
- Best Visual Effects: "Avatar: Fire and Ash"
- Best International Feature Film: "Sentimental Value" (Norway)
- Best Animated Feature Film: "KPop Demon Hunters"
- Best Documentary Feature Film: "Mr. Nobody Against Putin"
What's the lasting impression of this 20206 Oscar night? That cinema is alive and well. That the big-time storytellers like Anderson and Coogler aren't letting streamers steal their thunder. And that a night where both a dark epic and a horror film clean up is just fantastic. We're already looking forward to next year – and wherever the journey takes us then.