The 98th Academy Awards took place on Sunday March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Conan O’Brien hosted for the second year running, and the night belonged to One Battle After Another and Sinners. Here’s the full recap.
Best Picture
One Battle After Another won Best Picture with six total Oscars, the most of the night. Paul Thomas Anderson directed, produced, and wrote the adapted screenplay, winning all three categories. It was his first ever Oscar win.
The Big Winners
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another Best Actor: Michael B. Jordan, Sinners (his first Oscar, first nomination) Best Actress: Jessie Buckley, Hamnet (first Oscar, first nomination, and the first Irishwoman to win the category) Best Supporting Actor: Sean Penn, One Battle After Another (he wasn’t there to accept it; Kieran Culkin accepted on his behalf with a dry quip) Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan, Weapons (first award of the night) Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler, Sinners Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters Best International Feature: Sentimental Value (Norway) Best Documentary Feature: Mr. Nobody Against Putin
The Records
Sinners entered the night with a record-breaking 16 nominations and took home four Oscars. Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay, Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for his dual role as Smoke and Stack, Autumn Durald Arkapaw won Best Cinematography (becoming the first woman to ever win the category), and Ludwig Goransson won Best Original Score.
A new category debuted this year: Best Casting, the first competitive category added since Best Animated Feature in 2001. Cassandra Kulukundis won it for One Battle After Another.
“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters became the first K-pop song to win the Oscar for Best Original Song.
There was a rare tie in the Live Action Short category, with The Singers and Two People Exchanging Saliva both winning.
The Highlights
Conan O’Brien opened the show by running through scenes from nominated films dressed as characters from the movies, including appearing on stage in full Amy Madigan costume from Weapons, complete with red wig and white makeup.
The In Memoriam segment was particularly emotional, with tributes to Rob Reiner, Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, and Catherine O’Hara. Billy Crystal delivered a personal tribute to Rob Reiner, ending with “Buddy, what fun we had storming the castle.”
A surprise Bridesmaids reunion brought together Rose Byrne, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, and Ellie Kemper. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans also reunited in a Marvel callback.
Warner Bros. had a dominant night with 11 total wins across One Battle After Another (6) and Sinners (4). Netflix took seven, including three for Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein (costume design, makeup and hairstyling, production design).
Where to Watch the Winners
Most of the winning films are available on streaming or in theatres. One Battle After Another and Sinners are both Warner Bros. releases. Frankenstein is on Netflix. KPop Demon Hunters is streaming on Netflix. Check your local listings for Hamnet and Weapons.
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