Oscars 2026: 'One Battle After Another' Wins Best Picture

The 98th Academy Awards, held on March 15, 2026, celebrated a diverse range of films and artists, with Paul Thomas Anderson's political action film 'One Battle After Another' taking home the top honors for Best Picture and Best Director. The film also won Best Adapted Screenplay, marking Anderson's first Oscar wins after 14 previous nominations (Source: PBS).

The ceremony was hosted by Conan O'Brien, who brought a mix of humor and heartfelt moments to the stage. He acknowledged the challenging times, stating, "These are very chaotic, frightening times. It’s at moments like these that I believe the Oscars are particularly resonant" (Source: CNN). The show featured emotional tributes, including Billy Crystal honoring late director Rob Reiner and Barbra Streisand singing 'The Way We Were' in memory of Robert Redford (Source: BBC).

Michael B. Jordan made history as the seventh Black performer to win Best Actor for his dual role in 'Sinners', a horror film that defied genre stereotypes and became a cultural phenomenon. Jordan thanked Ryan Coogler, his frequent collaborator, saying, "You gave me the opportunity and the space to be seen" (Source: BBC). 'Sinners' also won awards for Best Original Screenplay for Coogler, Best Cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw—making her the first woman to win in that category—and Best Original Score for Ludwig Göransson (Sources: AP News, PBS, The Guardian).

The ceremony celebrated international and diverse voices. Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for 'Hamnet', becoming the first Irish performer to win in that category (Source: PBS). The film 'Sentimental Value' from Norway won Best International Feature (Source: AP News), and 'Golden' from 'KPop Demon Hunters' became the first K-pop song to win Best Original Song, with singer EJAE emotively expressing pride in breaking barriers for Korean music (Sources: CNN, BBC).

Warner Bros. had a record-breaking night with 11 Oscars, tying the studio's previous high, thanks to their wins with 'One Battle After Another', 'Sinners', and 'Weapons' (Source: The Guardian). The ceremony also introduced the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting, awarded to Cassandra Kulukundis for 'One Battle After Another' (Sources: PBS, NPR).

Despite the celebratory atmosphere, there were moments of tension. Host Conan O'Brien joked about security concerns due to President Trump's actions in Iran and took playful digs at Timothée Chalamet over his recent comments on ballet and opera (Source: CNN). The night also saw a historic tie for Best Live Action Short Film between 'The Singers' and 'Two People Exchanging Saliva', marking only the sixth true tie in Oscars history (Sources: AP News, BBC).