On March 15, 2026, ‘One Battle After Another’ emerged as the leading winner at the 98th Academy Awards, collecting six Oscars and taking best picture at the ceremony in Los Angeles. The result placed the film at the top of a field in which ‘Sinners’ earned four awards and ‘Frankenstein’ received three.
The six-win tally made ‘One Battle After Another’ the 42nd film in Academy Awards history to receive at least that many statuettes, according to the Associated Press. Its major victories stretched across the production: Paul Thomas Anderson won for directing, Sean Penn received the supporting actor award and Cassandra Kulukundis was recognised for casting. Anderson also won the adapted screenplay prize and shared in the best picture success.
That combination gave the film recognition in the ceremony’s central award as well as for writing, direction, performance and casting. AP photographs from the night showed members of the film’s team accepting best picture, while Kulukundis was pictured later with her casting award at the Governors Ball.
The casting result carried a separate historical distinction. The 2026 ceremony introduced the Academy’s first competitive Oscar for casting, making Kulukundis the first recipient of the prize. Her victory therefore counted both toward the film’s six-award total and as the opening entry in a new Academy Awards category.
The leading acting categories went to performers from two other films. Michael B. Jordan won best actor for ‘Sinners’, and Jessie Buckley took best actress for ‘Hamnet’. Jordan’s film finished second in the overall count with four Oscars. Its other reported victories included cinematography for Autumn Durald Arkapaw, original screenplay for Ryan Coogler and original score for Ludwig Göransson.
Amy Madigan won supporting actress for ‘Weapons’. Elsewhere among the announced results, ‘K-pop Demon Hunters’ received the animated feature award, while ‘Golden’ from the film won original song. ‘Mr. Nobody Against Putin’ was named documentary feature, and Norway’s ‘Sentimental Value’ won international feature. The live-action short category ended in a tie between ‘The Singers’ and ‘Two People Exchanging Saliva’.
‘Frankenstein’, the night’s third-highest film by total awards, won three Oscars; the AP’s coverage identified Kate Hawley as its costume design winner. The result placed it behind ‘Sinners’ and the six-award leader without displacing either film in the overall count.
The ceremony was held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Conan O’Brien returned as host for a second consecutive year, presiding over an evening that distributed prominent acting prizes across several films while giving ‘One Battle After Another’ the largest haul. Its best picture victory completed a run that combined above-the-line honours with craft recognition and made it the clear numerical leader of the 2026 awards.
