Oscars 2026 Winners: "One Battle After Another" Triumphs, Records and Surprises on Oscar Night
What a night at the Dolby Theatre! The 98th Academy Awards are now history, and they delivered exactly what every movie fan hopes for: clear winners, historic moments, and the odd moment that no one saw coming. Paul Thomas Anderson's epic "One Battle After Another" was the undisputed king of the night, sweeping a solid six trophies, including the really top awards. But "Sinners" and "Frankenstein" also had no reason to complain, each taking home multiple gold statuettes as well.
The Big Winner: "One Battle After Another"
Director Paul Thomas Anderson, who has been counted among the greats for decades, finally got to take home the long-overdue Oscar for Best Director. That his film also won the night's most prestigious award, Best Picture, was the natural culmination of a triumphant awards season run. But it didn't stop there: the film also secured awards for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Casting – a newly introduced category – and Sean Penn got to celebrate his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. For Penn, this is already the third acting trophy of his career, placing him in an illustrious circle alongside Jack Nicholson and Daniel Day-Lewis.
The Cream of the Crop in Acting: Jordan and Buckley Shine
In the acting categories, there were no real surprises, but plenty of reason for rousing applause. Michael B. Jordan won the highly deserved Oscar for Best Actor for his dual role in Ryan Coogler's vampire drama "Sinners." He saw off notable competition like Timothée Chalamet and Leonardo DiCaprio. In the ladies' category, Jessie Buckley took the prize. For her intense performance in "Hamnet," she was awarded the Oscar for Best Actress – a choice that was no longer a surprise following her triumphs at the major awards ceremonies this season.
In the supporting roles, there was another memorable moment alongside Sean Penn: Amy Madigan was honoured for her role in the horror film "Weapons" as Best Supporting Actress, crowning a decades-long career.
Historic Wins and a Curious Tie
But the night had much more to offer than just the major winners. "Sinners" had double the reason to celebrate. Not only did the film win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler), but Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. A long-overdue milestone in this category! Composer Ludwig Göransson rounded off the triumph for "Sinners" with the Oscar for Best Original Score.
Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" provided one of the most emotional moments. The reinterpretation of the classic dominated the technical categories and deservedly won the Oscars for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Another phenomenon was "KPop Demon Hunters." The Netflix animated hit not only won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, but the catchy tune "Golden" also took the prize in the Best Original Song category – the first K-Pop song to achieve this. And then there was the first tie in a category in 14 years: In the Live Action Short Film category, "The Singers" and "Two People Exchanging Saliva" got to share the statue – a curious but lovely moment that sparked laughter and applause in the hall.
The Winners of the 98th Academy Awards at a Glance
Here is the complete list of Oscars 2026 winners in the key categories:
- 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 International Feature Film: Sentimental Value (Norway)
- Best Animated Feature Film: KPop Demon Hunters
- Best Cinematography: Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Sinners)
- Best Original Score: Ludwig Göransson (Sinners)
- Best Original Song: "Golden" (KPop Demon Hunters)
- Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash