The Results Are In: The Oscars

The 98th Academy Awards delivered a dramatic conclusion to this year’s film season, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another emerging as the night’s biggest winner. Held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and hosted by Conan O’Brien, the ceremony celebrated the industry’s top achievements in film. By the end of the evening, Anderson’s film had secured six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, making it the most awarded film of the night.

Another major contender was Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which entered the ceremony with a record-breaking 16 nominations. While the film ultimately fell short of winning Best Picture, it still performed strongly, taking home several significant honors, including Best Actor and Best Original Score.

The ceremony featured several tightly contested categories. While some outcomes aligned with expectations, others delivered notable surprises for audiences watching the broadcast. Below is a closer look at the major categories and the key moments that defined Oscar night.

Best Actor

The Best Actor category was one of the most closely watched races of the awards season.

Early on, Timothée Chalamet appeared to be the frontrunner for his performance in Marty Supreme, earning widespread praise from critics and strong recognition from industry organizations. However, as the season progressed, another contender steadily gained momentum.

That contender was Michael B. Jordan, who delivered a demanding dual performance in Sinners. His role ultimately became one of the film’s defining moments of the evening.

The category also featured strong performances from Leonardo DiCaprio for One Battle After Another, Ethan Hawke for Blue Moon, and Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent.

Jordan’s win not only marked a major achievement for Sinners but also stood out as a meaningful moment during the ceremony. In his acceptance speech, he acknowledged several prominent Black Academy Award winners who paved the way before him, including Halle Berry and Denzel Washington, whom he recognized by name.

Best Actress

The Best Actress award went to Jessie Buckley for her performance in Hamnet.

Throughout the awards season, Buckley’s portrayal received widespread acclaim from critics, who praised the quiet intensity and emotional depth she brought to the role.

The category featured a strong group of nominees, including Emma Stone for Bugonia, Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue, Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value.

Ultimately, Buckley’s performance in Hamnet emerged as the standout of the season, with her win giving the film a notable moment of recognition during a ceremony filled with major contenders.

Best Supporting Actor

Another significant honor for One Battle After Another came in the Best Supporting Actor category.

The award went to Sean Penn, who was not present at the ceremony to accept the honor. Penn portrayed Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, a performance that generated considerable attention throughout the competitive awards season.

The category also included his co-star Benicio del Toro for One Battle After Another, Jacob Elordi for Frankenstein, Delroy Lindo for Sinners, and Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value.

Penn’s win also places him in a notable chapter of Academy Awards history. With previous victories for Mystic River and Milk, along with this latest honor for One Battle After Another, he becomes only the eighth actor to win three competitive acting Academy Awards.

Best Supporting Actress

The Best Supporting Actress award went to Amy Madigan for her performance in Weapons, a result many observers had widely anticipated.

Madigan had last received an Academy Award nomination in 1985 for Twice in a Lifetime, prompting frequent discussion throughout the season about the veteran actress being “overdue” for another Oscar recognition.

The category also featured Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Sentimental Value, Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners, and Teyana Taylor for One Battle After Another.

Madigan’s victory became one of the evening’s most emotional moments, as she expressed gratitude to her husband, Ed Harris, and her family during her acceptance speech.

Best Picture

The evening’s top honor, Best Picture, went to One Battle After Another, marking one of the most significant milestones of Paul Thomas Anderson’s acclaimed directing career. Although Anderson had received multiple Academy Award nominations over the years, a Best Picture victory had long eluded him.

Adapted from Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the film follows a former revolutionary searching for his kidnapped daughter, blending dark humor, action, and political commentary—elements critics often describe as hallmarks of Anderson’s distinctive filmmaking style.

For much of the awards season, the Best Picture race appeared to center on two major contenders: Anderson’s sweeping drama and Ryan Coogler’s ambitious epic Sinners, which entered the ceremony with a record-breaking 16 nominations.

However, when the final envelope was opened, One Battle After Another emerged as the winner.

The Best Picture lineup also included Bugonia, F1, Frankenstein, Hamnet, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Sinners, and Train Dreams.

By the end of the evening, One Battle After Another had secured six Academy Awards, making it the most awarded film of the night and bringing one of the most competitive Best Picture races in recent years to a close.

Best Director

The Academy Award for Best Director was presented to Paul Thomas Anderson for One Battle After Another.

The category featured a strong field of nominees, including Ryan Coogler for Sinners, Chloé Zhao for Hamnet, Josh Safdie for Marty Supreme, and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value.

Later in the ceremony, Anderson returned to the stage once again as One Battle After Another was awarded Best Picture, securing the evening’s most coveted honor.

Best Screenplay

The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay went to Ryan Coogler for Sinners, a script that blended genre storytelling with deeply emotional character development and helped power one of the most talked-about films of the season. The film entered the Oscars with a record-breaking 16 nominations.

With the win, Coogler became only the second Black filmmaker in Academy Awards history to receive the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, following Jordan Peele. The moment drew one of the evening’s loudest reactions, as Coogler received a standing ovation before delivering an emotional acceptance speech in which he thanked his cast, crew, and family.

Sinners, a Southern-set vampire story starring Michael B. Jordan in a dual role, had already built strong momentum throughout awards season with victories from several critics groups, the Writers Guild, and the BAFTAs, making the Oscar win the crowning achievement of the film’s historic run.

Best Music

The Academy Award for Best Original Song went to “Golden” from the Netflix film K-Pop Demon Hunters, giving the project one of the evening’s most notable music victories. Written by Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami alongside a team of producers, the track blends English and Korean lyrics with a modern K-pop sound that became a key element of the film’s appeal.

The win also marked a historic moment for the Academy Awards, as “Golden” became the first K-pop song to receive the Oscar for Best Original Song. Other nominees in the category included “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless, “I Lied to You” from Sinners, and “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi!.

With the victory, the Netflix film delivered one of the ceremony’s most widely discussed musical moments, reflecting the growing influence of international pop sounds in Hollywood soundtracks and awards-season conversations.

By the time the final awards were presented, the ceremony had brought another busy awards season in Hollywood to a close. The evening featured a mix of expected wins and a few surprises across the major categories, marking the final chapter of this year’s race for the films and performers involved.