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, scores were settled, laughs were had, and a few people talked until they were blue in the face. But who actually got to take home the coveted gold statue? Here's the complete rundown of the winners of the 2026 Oscars – and why this particular year 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 big dominator of the evening. With 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 they deserved. Particularly moving: Sean Penn, who snagged the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role and got properly political in his speech. Clear condemnation of the current political situation in the US, the works. It wasn't some dull thank-you speech; it was pure drama.
The Record-Breaker: 'Sinners' and Its Massive Achievement
And then there was 'Sinners'. With a staggering 16 nominations, Ryan Coogler's film etched its name into history – more than 'Titanic' or 'All About Eve'. In the end, it only took home four Oscars, but some of the most prestigious ones. Michael B. Jordan grabbed the Oscar for Best Actor, leaving Timothée Chalamet ('Marty Supreme') and Leo DiCaprio in the dust. Added to that were gold for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. The score, by the way, comes from Sweden's Ludwig Göransson, bagging his second Oscar after 'Oppenheimer'. A name that, of course, immediately sparks a connection here to The World of Hans Zimmer – 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 Long-Tail Stories: Where are Springsteen and Tarantino?
Now, onto the rumours and hopes doing the rounds before the show. Sure, Bruce Springsteen – the Boss – didn't have a new song in the running. But his spirit loomed large over the evening. 'One Battle After Another' is a deeply American epic that thematically fits perfectly with Springsteen's blue-collar romanticism. You almost wish he had 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 slowly taking shape. Still, for film history buffs, it felt like a Tarantino-esque evening: 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 full list:
- 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 Film: 'Sentimental Value' (Norway)
- Best Animated Film: 'KPop Demon Hunters'
- Best Documentary Feature: 'Mr. Nobody Against Putin'
What's the takeaway from this 2026 Oscar night? That cinema is alive and kicking. That the really big storytellers like Anderson and Coogler aren't letting the streamers steal their thunder. And that an evening where both a dark epic and a horror film clean up is simply fantastic. We're already looking forward to next year – and to where the journey takes us then.