The 98th Academy Awards took place on the 15th of March 2026 in Hollywood, with One Battle After Another dominating the night with six awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Meanwhile, Sinners had the most nominations for the night — a record 16 nominations.
Did the Right Films Win?
Every year, debates ensue after the Academy Awards. Why did one film win whilst another, often more popular with audiences, lost? The answer lies in how the Oscars work. The winners of the Academy Awards are not chosen by the public, and voting is not open to the public, but by 10,000+ film professionals who belong to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. This explains why some films win over their rivals: they resonate not just as entertainment but as achievements in filmmaking craft.
The Major Film Battles of the 2026 Oscars
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Michael B. Jordan — Sinners
This was Jordan's first Oscar win and nomination, and he won for playing twin brothers (Smoke and Stack) in the supernatural fictional drama. His performance required him to portray two distinct personalities in the same film, which many critics said was one of the most technically demanding acting roles of the year.
Other nominees for this role included:
- Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
- Leonardo DiCaprio — One Battle After Another
- Ethan Hawke — Blue Moon
- Wagner Moura — The Secret Agent
This category was widely considered one of the most competitive of the night.
Best Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
Jessie Buckley in Hamnet tells an emotional story in a historical drama inspired by Maggie O'Farrell's novel. The role explores grief, motherhood, and the personal tragedy believed to have influenced William Shakespeare's writing. Strong competitors included Renate Reinsve's role in Sentimental Value and Emma Stone's role in Bugonia.
Other nominees:
- Renate Reinsve — Sentimental Value
- Rose Byrne — If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
- Kate Hudson — Song Sung Blue
- Emma Stone — Bugonia
Best Picture
Winner: One Battle After Another
One Battle After Another is a political drama inspired by Thomas Pynchon's novel Vineland. The film mixes satire and political commentary whilst following a former revolutionary confronting modern society. It dominated the ceremony with six awards, including Best Picture, Director, Editing, and Adapted Screenplay.
Other major nominees included Sinners, Hamnet, Frankenstein, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, and F1.
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Sinners
Ryan Coogler's script stood out for blending horror and cultural storytelling. It portrayed vampires, blues music culture, and family drama. Other nominated films included Sentimental Value, Blue Moon, and Marty Supreme.
Marty Supreme lost all nominations on the big night. It is a sports drama with a coming-of-age angle, starring Timothée Chalamet as Marty, a prodigiously talented table tennis player navigating the pressures of fame, competition, and personal identity.
Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Sean Penn — One Battle After Another
Penn's performance stood out for its intensity within the political drama. In One Battle After Another, Sean Penn plays Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, the film's main antagonist. By contrast, Delroy Lindo in Sinners played a figure of quiet influence — a man navigating grief, family, and supernatural events, whose presence shapes the story without dominating it. Meanwhile, Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein delivered a darkly charismatic performance, bringing gothic intensity and emotional depth to a more traditional role.
Other nominees:
- Benicio del Toro — One Battle After Another
- Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein
- Delroy Lindo — Sinners
- Stellan Skarsgård — Sentimental Value
Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Amy Madigan — Weapons
This win surprised many because Wunmi Mosaku's performance in Sinners had strong support amongst audiences.
Other nominees:
- Wunmi Mosaku — Sinners
- Elle Fanning — Sentimental Value
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas — Sentimental Value
- Teyana Taylor — One Battle After Another
Best Directing
Winner: Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Other nominees:
- Chloé Zhao — Hamnet
- Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme
- Joachim Trier — Sentimental Value
- Ryan Coogler — Sinners
Best Cinematography
Winner: Sinners
Other nominees: Frankenstein, One Battle After Another, Train Dreams.
Best Film Editing
Winner: One Battle After Another
Other nominees: Sinners, Marty Supreme, Hamnet.
Best Sound
Winner: F1
Other nominees: Frankenstein, Sinners, One Battle After Another.
Best Original Score
Winner: Sinners
Other nominees: Hamnet, One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme.
Make-Up and Hairstyling
Winner: Frankenstein
Other nominees: Kokuho, Sinners, The Smashing Machine, The Ugly Stepsister.
Costume Design
Winner: Frankenstein
Other nominees: Avatar: Fire and Ash, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, Sinners.
A debate was sparked online saying Sinners deserved to win in both the Costume Design and Make-Up and Hairstyling categories because the costumes and styling represented the theme of the film, helping to define each character and their social status. However, Frankenstein must have appealed more to voters because of its extensive prosthetic designs, and the costumes reflected a vintage era and gothic aesthetic.
Ultimately, the Oscars are a reflection of what creators value in filmmaking rather than just a reflection of popularity. Members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences select the Academy Awards winners, which means that films that push artistic limits, experiment with storytelling, or exhibit excellent craft are frequently voted on. Therefore, comparing the nominees and winners together reveals not only which films won, but also what the cinema industry as a whole currently finds appealing.