Hollywood's Greatest Night: 'One Battle After Another' Crowned at the 98th Academy Awards, as 'Sinners' Makes History

A landmark evening at the Dolby Theatre saw records shattered, history made, and the film world's most coveted trophies awarded to a new generation of cinema

HOLLYWOOD, CA — March 15, 2026

The red carpet gleamed, the stars aligned, and Hollywood delivered one of its most electrifying Oscar nights in years. The 98th Academy Awards unfolded at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday night, with Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another claiming the night's top honor — Best Picture — while its director took home the Oscar for Best Director. ABC News

One Battle After Another, a time-hopping revolutionary drama about a washed-up rebel battling old enemies to protect his daughter, earned a total of six awards — including Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, and the first-ever Oscar for Best Achievement in Casting. CNN

'Sinners' Breaks Records, Makes History

Yet the most talked-about film of the night was undoubtedly Ryan Coogler's Sinners. Sinners entered the ceremony with 16 nominations — the most in Oscar history, surpassing the previous record of fourteen shared by All About Eve (1950), Titanic (1997), and La La Land (2016). Wikipedia

Ryan Coogler's period vampire thriller, which celebrated the origins of Blues music and southern Black culture, earned four Academy Awards: Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan's dual performance as twins Smoke and Stack, Best Original Screenplay for Coogler himself, Best Original Score, and a history-making win in the Best Cinematography category for Autumn Durald Arkapaw — the first woman ever to win in that category. Yahoo!

Sinners was also the highest-grossing film among the Best Picture nominees, having earned $280 million in domestic box office receipts. Wikipedia

Acting Honors Spread the Wealth

Jessie Buckley took home Best Actress for her performance in Hamnet, while Amy Madigan was awarded Best Supporting Actress for her harrowing role in Weapons — and she was the very first winner announced of the evening. ABC News

The 40-year span between Madigan's first Oscar nomination in 1985 and her second set the record for the longest gap between nominations for an actress. Wikipedia Her win drew one of the night's loudest ovations.

Sean Penn, who was not in attendance, was named Best Supporting Actor for One Battle After Another.

Milestones and Firsts

The 98th ceremony was a night defined by historic firsts. The ceremony marked the debut of a brand-new Oscar category — Best Achievement in Casting — the first competitive category added by the Academy since Best Animated Feature was introduced in 2001, with One Battle After Another taking home the inaugural award. Good Morning America

Chloé Zhao became the second woman and the first woman of color to receive two Best Director nominations, having previously won the award. Timothée Chalamet, at 30, became the youngest actor to earn three acting nominations since Marlon Brando. Wikipedia

On the animated front, KPop Demon Hunters claimed the Best Animated Feature Film award, with its hit tune "Golden" also winning Best Original Song. ABC

Conan O'Brien Returns to Helm the Night

Comedian Conan O'Brien hosted the ceremony for the second consecutive year, having received such a strong response from his debut at the 97th Oscars that the Academy brought him back. Oscar Winners His sharp wit and irreverent humor helped keep the star-studded evening moving at a crisp pace.

The telecast drew 17.86 million viewers in the United States. Wikipedia

The Night's Defining Moment

When One Battle After Another was announced as Best Picture, director Paul Thomas Anderson — one of Hollywood's most acclaimed yet notoriously award-elusive filmmakers — returned to the stage for the third time in one night. The win marked Anderson's first-ever Oscar for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay in his 30-plus-year Hollywood career. Yahoo!

For Ryan Coogler and Sinners, meanwhile, falling short of Best Picture hardly diminished the evening. With four Oscars, a record-setting 16 nominations, and a $280 million box office run, Sinners stands as one of the defining cultural events of 2025 — a film that arrived as entertainment and left as history.