Oscars 2026: The Winners and the Huge 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 were scores settled, laughs were had, and more than 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 lowdown on the winners of the 2026 Oscars – and why this year's batch was so special, even for die-hard cinephiles.
The Marathon Man: 'One Battle After Another'
What a ride. Paul Thomas Anderson has done it again. His epic masterpiece '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. Particularly moving: Sean Penn, who snagged the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role, got properly political in his speech. It came with a clear stance against the current political climate in the US. This wasn't any boring thank-you speech; it was pure drama.
The Record-Breaker: 'Sinners' and Its Massive Achievement
And then there was 'Sinners'. Ryan Coogler's film went down in history with a whopping 16 nominations – more than 'Titanic' or 'All About Eve'. In the end, it only took home four Oscars, but they were some of the most prestigious. Michael B. Jordan grabbed the Oscar for Best Actor, leaving Timothée Chalamet ('Marty Supreme') and Leo DiCaprio with no chance. Plus, there was gold for Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Score. The score, by the way, comes from Sweden's Ludwig Göransson, who bagged his second Oscar after 'Oppenheimer'. A name that immediately creates 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 Side Notes: Where are Springsteen and Tarantino?
Now, about the rumours and hopes that were doing the rounds 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 perfectly with Springsteen's blue-collar romanticism. You almost wish he'd opened the show musically.
And Quentin Tarantino? He wasn't nominated either, but he was guaranteed to be sitting somewhere in the hall, eyeing up the competition. After all, rumours are swirling that his final film is slowly taking shape. For film history buffs, though, it was still a Tarantino-esque evening: Paul Thomas Anderson's speech was peppered with nods to the classics of the 20th century, and the crowd went wild.
The Complete List of 2026 Winners
If you still want to know exactly who won in the technical categories, here's the rundown:
- 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 takeaway from this 20206 Oscar night? That cinema is alive and well. That the big-shot 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 seeing where the journey takes us then.