Oscars 2026: The Winners and the Night ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Sinners’ Ruled
The 98th Academy Awards are done and dusted, and Hollywood has a new heavyweight champion. At the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the scores were settled, laughter rang out, and more than a few winners talked until they were blue in the face. But who actually got to take home the coveted golden statuette? Here's your complete rundown of the 2026 Oscar winners – and why this year's ceremony was a particularly special one, even for seasoned cinephiles.
The Endurance Epic: ‘One Battle After Another’
What a ride. Paul Thomas Anderson has done it again. His epic achievement, ‘One Battle After Another’, was the night's big dominator. Bagging six trophies – including the real heavy hitters like Best Picture and Best Director – the ensemble cast, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, reaped the rewards. A particularly moving moment: Sean Penn, who scooped the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role, used his speech to make a powerful political statement. It was a clear stand against the current political climate in the US. This wasn't a dull roll-call of thank-yous; it was pure, unadulterated cinema.
The Record-Breaker: ‘Sinners’ Makes Its Mark
And then there was ‘Sinners’. With a staggering 16 nominations, Ryan Coogler's film etched its name into the history books – more than ‘Titanic’ or ‘All About Eve’. In the end, it took home four Oscars, but they were some of the most prestigious. Michael B. Jordan nabbed the Oscar for Best Actor, leaving Timothée Chalamet (‘Marty Supreme’) and Leo DiCaprio in the dust. It also scooped gold for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. The score, by the way, comes from Sweden's Ludwig Göransson, landing him his second Oscar after ‘Oppenheimer’. It's a name that, for many, immediately sparks a connection to The World of Hans Zimmer – and 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 Undercurrents: So Where Do Springsteen and Tarantino Fit In?
Let's talk about the whispers and hopes that were doing the rounds before the show. Of course, Bruce Springsteen – the Boss – didn't have a new song in the running. But his spirit was undeniably in the room. ‘One Battle After Another’ is a profoundly American epic that thematically chimes perfectly with Springsteen's blue-collar romanticism. You almost wish he'd opened the night musically.
And Quentin Tarantino? He wasn't nominated either, but you can bet he was sitting somewhere in the audience, sizing up the competition. After all, rumours are swirling that his final film is finally starting to take shape. For film history buffs, it still felt like a Tarantino night: Paul Thomas Anderson's speech was peppered with nods to 20th-century classics, and the crowd ate it up.
The Complete List of 2026 Winners
If you're itching to know who won in the technical categories, here's the full lowdown:
- 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 2026 Oscars night? That cinema is well and truly alive. That master storytellers like Anderson and Coogler aren't about to let the streamers steal their thunder. And that an evening where both a dark epic and a horror film can clean up is simply fantastic. We're already looking forward to next year – and to seeing where the journey takes us.