Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another Wins Six Oscars Including Best Picture

Paul Thomas Anderson's "One Battle After Another" dominated the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, taking home six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, in a ceremony that also produced a historic first in the newly created Best Casting category.

The Academy Awards, presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, recognize achievement in the film industry. The 98th ceremony continued a tradition of honoring both commercial and artistic filmmaking. The introduction of the Best Casting category marked a significant expansion of the awards, acknowledging a craft that had long been considered central to filmmaking but had never previously been recognized with its own Oscar.

Anderson's film swept the night's most prestigious categories, with Sean Penn taking Best Supporting Actor for his role in the same production. Cassandra Kulukundis made history by winning the first-ever Oscar for Best Casting for her work on "One Battle After Another," becoming the first person ever to receive the award. The film's dominance across six categories made it the defining achievement of the evening. Anderson, known for his distinctive filmmaking style, added the Best Director award to what became a landmark night for the production.

Jordan and Buckley claim acting honors in emotional wins Michael B. Jordan won Best Leading Actor for his dual role in "Sinners," according to Reuters and ANSA. Jessie Buckley claimed Best Leading Actress for her performance in "Hamnet," with AP News describing the role as tear-jerking. Amy Madigan won Best Supporting Actress for her work in "Weapons." The acting categories produced a spread of wins across different productions, with no single film outside of "One Battle After Another" claiming more than one major prize. Jordan, an American actor and producer, added the Academy Award to a career that has also included three Actor Awards and a Producers Guild Award, according to his public biography. Buckley, an Irish actress born on December 28, 1989, now counts an Academy Award among accolades that also include a BAFTA, a Golden Globe, and an Olivier Award.

Devil Wears Prada reunion lights up the ceremony The ceremony featured a notable Devil Wears Prada reunion moment, according to ANSA, adding a nostalgic highlight to the evening's proceedings. The gathering drew attention from audiences and generated coverage as one of the ceremony's more memorable non-competitive moments. The night also unfolded against a broader industry backdrop, with Warner Bros. celebrating multiple wins while facing a looming deal with Paramount, according to Reuters. The convergence of a triumphant awards night and a significant pending corporate transaction gave Warner Bros.' evening a bittersweet quality, as Reuters reported. The ceremony's mix of historic firsts, acting honors spread across several films, and industry intrigue made the 98th Academy Awards a particularly eventful edition of Hollywood's most prominent annual event.

Penn's third Oscar caps a celebrated career Sean Penn's Best Supporting Actor win for "One Battle After Another" brought his total Academy Award count to three, according to his public biography. Penn, an American actor and filmmaker born on August 17, 1960, has built a career recognized for intense leading roles. His win contributed directly to the film's tally of six awards on the night. The Academy recognized "One Battle After Another" across a broad range of categories, cementing Anderson's production as the most decorated film of the 2026 awards season. The combination of Penn's experience and Anderson's direction produced what the evening's results confirmed as the dominant film of the year.