One Battle After Another wins big at the Oscars

Paul Thomas Anderson's film takes home six awards, including Best Picture, defeating a surge from Ryan Coogler's Sinners

Mar. 16, 2026 at 5:05am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Paul Thomas Anderson's film One Battle After Another emerged as the big winner of the 98th Academy Awards, taking home six Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Director and Best Picture. This victory followed a hard-fought race with Ryan Coogler's Sinners, which saw a surge in enthusiasm in the closing days of the Oscar season and ended up with four statuettes from its record-setting 16 nominations, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan, Best Original Screenplay for Coogler and a historic Best Cinematography win.

Why it matters

One Battle After Another's victory is a triumph for a legacy Hollywood studio, Warner Bros., which released both films and dominated the studio scorecard with 11 wins. This win also highlights the Academy's traditional skittishness towards horror films, as Sinners faced an uphill battle despite its critical acclaim and commercial success.

The details

One Battle After Another built an unrivaled war chest of statuettes that included the "Big Four" critics groups, the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards, and myriad guild prizes. While Sinners also had a surge of enthusiasm, it faced the burden of being associated with a genre that's traditionally been a blind spot for the Academy. The film's strong performance, including a historic Best Cinematography win, suggests a new hope for horror being taken seriously at the Oscars.

  • The Gotham Awards sounded the awards season starter gun way back on Dec. 1, where One Battle After Another won Best Feature.
  • From Dec. 1 to March 15, One Battle After Another built an unrivaled war chest of statuettes.

The players

Paul Thomas Anderson

The director of One Battle After Another, which won six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Ryan Coogler

The director of Sinners, which won four Oscars, including Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan and Best Original Screenplay.

Michael B. Jordan

The star of Sinners, who won the Oscar for Best Actor.

Autumn Durald Arkapaw

The cinematographer of Sinners, who made history with a Best Cinematography win.

Warner Bros.

The studio that released both One Battle After Another and Sinners, and dominated the studio scorecard with 11 wins.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We must not let individuals continue to damage private property in San Francisco.”

— Robert Jenkins, San Francisco resident (San Francisco Chronicle)

“Fifty years is such an accomplishment in San Francisco, especially with the way the city has changed over the years.”

— Gordon Edgar, grocery employee (Instagram)

The takeaway

One Battle After Another's victory highlights the Academy's traditional preference for prestige dramas over genre films, even as Sinners' strong performance suggests a new openness to horror being taken seriously at the Oscars. This win also solidifies Warner Bros.' dominance in the awards season, though the studio's future may look very different next year if its acquisition by Paramount Skydance is approved.