One Battle After Another takes best picture at the Oscars
LOS ANGELES — The darkly comic thriller One Battle After Another won best picture at the Academy Awards, leading a haul of six trophies on a Sunday night when Hollywood handed its top movie honors to unconventional stories.
The offbeat tale of political resistance traded wins with the vampire story Sinners, setting up a fight to the end at the Dolby Theater.
“Let’s have a martini! This is pretty amazing,” director Paul Thomas Anderson said on stage after his One Battle was announced the recipient of the top award.
The Warner Bros. movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a one-time revolutionary who becomes a weed-smoking single father of a teenager.
Before this year, Mr. Anderson had 11 career Oscar nominations and no wins. In addition to best picture, he won best director and best adapted screenplay on Sunday.
“I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world,” Mr. Anderson said while accepting the screenplay honor. “But also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”
SEAN PENN A WINNER BUT A NO-SHOW
One Battle star Sean Penn, who plays an obsessed military officer in One Battle, was named best supporting actor. It was the third Oscar for Mr. Penn, who frequently skips movie industry awards shows and was not in the Dolby Theater audience.
“Sean Penn couldn’t be here, or didn’t want to, so I’ll accept the award on his behalf,” said presenter Kieran Culkin, last year’s supporting actor winner.
Sinners had entered the ceremony with 16 nominations, more than any other film in the nearly 100-year-old history of the Oscars. The movie finished with four awards including a best actor trophy for Michael B. Jordan, who played the dual roles of twin brothers Smoke and Stack. Set in the Segregation-era US South, the movie was a celebration of blues and Black culture told with a supernatural twist.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me,” Mr. Jordan said as he named previous Black Oscar winners including Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, and Halle Berry. “I’m going to keep stepping up and I’m going to keep being the best version of myself.”
Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and first Black cinematographer to win the cinematography honor for Sinners.
Irish actor Jessie Buckley landed the best actress accolade for playing William Shakespeare’s wife, Agnes Hathaway, in Hamnet. The movie explores how the couple navigates the death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet.
“I would like to dedicate this to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” Ms. Buckley said.
The 75-year-old Amy Madigan was named best supporting actress for her role as the wacky Aunt Gladys in horror film Weapons. She earned her first Oscar 40 years after her first nomination.
KPOP DEMON HUNTERS DOES GOOD
KPop Demon Hunters, a Netflix movie that became a global phenomenon, was named best animated feature. Its catchy song, “Golden,” won the award for best original song.
Amid the celebration, the Oscars took on a serious tone to honor two major losses in the film world — the deaths of directors Robert Redford and Rob Reiner.
Billy Crystal, star of When Harry Met Sally, said Mr. Reiner’s films including A Few Good Men and This Is Spinal Tap would “last for lifetimes.” He was joined on stage by Demi Moore, Meg Ryan and other cast members from Reiner classics.
Barbra Streisand, who played opposite Mr. Redford in The Way We Were, called Mr. Redford a “brilliant, subtle actor” and an “intellectual cowboy.” She finished her remarks by singing a few lines from the movie’s well-known title song.
Sentimental Value, directed by Joachim Trier, won for best international feature film on Sunday, the first Norwegian film to win in this category after six previous nominations.
Host Conan O’Brien opened the festivities by joking that he was honored to be “the last human host” of the awards at a time when Hollywood is worried about artificial intelligence taking over jobs.
The glitzy celebration, Hollywood’s most over-the-top gala of the year, took place as the US wages war on Iran. Security was tight in and around the ceremony after a federal warning of a possible Iranian threat against California.
The festivities masked the unease in the film business over where movies are being made as studios chase tax incentives and lower costs elsewhere in the US and overseas, weakening Hollywood’s grip on production.
Warner Bros., the biggest winner of the night with 11 Oscars, is in the process of being sold to Paramount Skydance in a deal that will narrow the ranks of major film distributors. A media watchdog group, Free Press, circulated a roving billboard around Hollywood over the weekend airing its opposition to the merger.
Winners of the gold Oscar statuettes are chosen by the roughly 10,000 actors, producers, directors, and film craftspeople who make up the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. — Reuters
And the Oscars 2026 winners are…
NEW YORK — The full list of Oscar winners at Sunday’s 98th Academy Awards. One Battle After Another led with six awards, Sinners followed with four, and Frankenstein won three.
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 – Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best Adapted Screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another
Best Animated Feature Film – KPop Demon Hunters
Best Animated Short Film – The Girl Who Cried Pearls
Best International Feature – Sentimental Value
Best Documentary Feature – Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Best Documentary Short – Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones, All the Empty Rooms
Best Original Score – Ludwig Göransson, Sinners
Best Original Song – “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters
Best Sound – F1
Best Production Design – Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau, Frankenstein
Best Live Action Short Film (Tie) – The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva
Best Cinematography – Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Sinners
Best Makeup and Hairstyling – Frankenstein
Best Costume Design – Frankenstein
Best Visual Effects – Avatar: Fire and Ash
Best Film Editing – Andy Jurgensen, One Battle After Another
Best Casting – Cassandra Kulukundis, One Battle after Another
— Reuters
Moments from the Oscars
Here are takeaways from Sunday night’s Oscars ceremony, Hollywood’s annual celebration of the best performances in the movie business.
LATE-NIGHT QUIPS
Conan O’Brien does not usually get as overtly political as other hosts. But in his opening monologue this year, he warned otherwise. To those unhappy with that, he said they could attend an alternative show hosted by Kid Rock, an American singer who during the Super Bowl in February staged a competing halftime show to Bad Bunny’s performance.
“Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos is here and this is exciting: This is his first time in a theater. ‘This is what they’re talking about? Why are they together enjoying themselves?! They should be home alone!’” Mr. O’Brien joked about the home streaming platform in his opening monologue.
Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel, a previous Academy Awards host, lauded the courage of documentary filmmakers, noting that in some countries, they don’t believe in free speech. He said he wasn’t at liberty to say which ones, then joked, “Let’s leave it at North Korea and CBS.”
He then poked fun at US President Donald J. Trump, saying, “Oh, is he going to be mad his wife wasn’t nominated for this.” First lady Melania Trump’s documentary wasn’t released until 2026 so it did not qualify for the awards.
SUPREMELY SHUTOUT
Marty Supreme did not win any awards, including Timothée Chalamet losing best actor to Michael B. Jordan. Mr. Chalamet’s loss follows his negative comments about the ballet and opera that sparked controversy online and led to a joke by Mr. O’Brien: “Security is extremely tight tonight. I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet community.”
While many were offended by Mr. Chalamet’s comment during an interview in February, opera singer Ana Maria Martinez said on Sunday she was grateful to the actor for highlighting her craft.
“Saying what he said, he has put opera and ballet more in the pop culture lingo in the everyday conversation. And I will emphasize that opera and ballet are very strong,” Ms. Martinez told Reuters. “It might not have been intentional, but he gave us a lot with that.”
RESISTANCE TAKES CENTER STAGE
Mr. Nobody Against Putin, about a young Russian schoolteacher waging quiet resistance against Russia’s war on Ukraine, won the Oscar for best documentary feature. Director David Borenstein said in his acceptance speech that the film was about how to lose one’s country through small acts of complicity.
“When we act complicit, when a government murders people on the streets of our major cities, when we don’t say anything, when oligarchs take over media and control how we produce it,” he said. The comments followed the killing of two Americans in Minneapolis by immigration agents.
IN MEMORIAM
The loss of so many iconic names in Hollywood this year led to one of the longest segments for the long show. Director Rob Reiner was honored by actor Billy Crystal. Mr. Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead at their home in the upscale Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles on Dec. 14, 2025. Mr. Reiner’s younger son, Nick Reiner, stands charged with their murders; he has pleaded not guilty.
Barbra Streisand, who played opposite Robert Redford in The Way We Were, called him a “brilliant, subtle actor” and an “intellectual cowboy.” She finished her remarks by singing a few lines from the movie’s title song.
FIRST NEW CATEGORY IN DECADES
The award for achievement in casting is the first new award category established since best animated feature film in 2001.
It formally recognizes the role casting directors contribute to a film’s vision and its overall success. Cassandra Kulukundis received the award for One Battle After Another.
MORE FIRSTS
Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and first Black cinematographer to win the cinematography honor, “Golden” gave the K-pop genre its first win in the best original song category and Sentimental Value became the first Norwegian film to win for best international feature.
TWO FILMS, ONE OSCAR
The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva tied to win best live action short film. There have been only six ties previously in Oscars history — the last time was in 2013 for best sound.
A DEVIL WEARS PRADA REUNION
Anne Hathaway joined Anna Wintour on stage to present two awards in a Devil Wears Prada reunion ahead of the sequel due out in May. Ms. Wintour leaned into her Miranda Priestly persona, ignoring Ms. Hathaway’s question about her dress and later calling her “Emily,” the name Ms. Priestly wrongly ascribes to Ms. Hathaway in the film.
PINS OF ACTIVISM
Some guests wore pins with political messaging, including “ICE OUT,” calling out the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, and others demanding an end to the wars in Iran and Gaza.
Spanish actor Javier Bardem wore one that said “NO A LA GUERRA,” which translates to “No to War” and another reading “Free Palestine.” While presenting best international film, he said, “No to war and free Palestine,” to applause from the crowd.
ONE LAST JOKE
In a rare pre-recorded clip that aired once the telecast ended, Mr. O’Brien appeared in a parody scene adapted from the Oscar-winning film for best picture, One Battle After Another, in which Mr. O’Brien is named by an academy official as the Oscar “host for life” and given a special corner office only to end up gassed to death — an homage to the movie demise of Colonel Lockjaw, the character played by Sean Penn. — Reuters
