By JJ Ledewitz, Senior Arts and Culture Editor
The Oscars are back, with a few movies you may have seen and a whole bunch you definitely haven’t. Conan O’Brien hosted the 98th Academy Awards, which aired on March 15. From One Battle After Another to Sentimental Value, here are the winners and losers of the 2026 Oscars.
The Winners
One Battle After Another
Paul Thomas Anderson’s action-thriller One Battle After Another led the night with 12 awards. Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t win for Best Actor — not that anyone really expected him to anyway. But Sean Penn did win Best Supporting Actor for his role as the film’s antagonist, Colonel Steven Lockjaw.
The film also won Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Casting, a new category that celebrates movies that excel, as the title suggests, at casting. On top of that, One Battle After Another won the two biggest awards of the night: Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson and Best Picture.
Sinners
Ryan Coogler’s horror film Sinners was a huge presence at the Oscars, with an all-time record of 16 nominations and talk — mostly theories — that it would take home the most awards. While it did win a bunch of awards, it didn’t exactly sweep. There were a lot of awards that people thought it had a good chance at winning that, in the end, it didn’t win, including Best Supporting Actor, Best Casting, Best Director and Best Picture. The film did take home Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor for Michael B. Jordan’s performance as both Smoke and Stack in the film.
Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro’s new adaptation of Frankenstein didn’t need to win any of the big awards to have a successful night. It was cool that it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (for Jacob Elordi) and Best Adapted Screenplay, among others, but what it really needed to win was the three practical effects-related awards: Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. It won all three, deservedly. Jacob Elordi reportedly spent up to 10 hours a day in the makeup chair for the practical effects of the Creature. The wins feel well-earned and, more importantly, a reminder that practical effects still matter.
The Losers
Marty Supreme
Josh Safdie’s comedy-drama Marty Supreme — starring Timothée Chalamet — was nominated for nine awards: Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Casting, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (for Chalamet), Best Director and Best Picture. It won zero. In reality, for most of these categories, there were better movies, so the losses weren’t a surprise. But for some, Marty Supreme had a chance. If not for Sinners, it probably would have taken Best Original Screenplay. Chalamet really could have taken Best Actor. And Marty Supreme has casting choices that should make it a prime example of Best Casting. But, alas, the Academy favored other films.
Hamnet
Chloé Zhao’s historical drama about William Shakespeare, his wife and the death of their son was nominated for eight awards: Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Casting, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actress (for Jessie Buckley), Best Director and Best Picture. The only one it won was Best Actress. It had a shot at winning a bunch of the other awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay and some of the practical effects awards, but it fell short.
Sentimental Value
Joachim Trier’s Norwegian drama Sentimental Value was nominated for nine awards: Best Film Editing, Best International Feature, Best Original Screenplay, two for Best Supporting Actress (for Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas), Best Supporting Actor (for Stellan Skarsgård), Best Actress (for Renate Reinsve), Best Director and Best Picture. Yet, it only won for Best International Feature. It is a disappointing outcome, but not an unfamiliar one. It’s sad, but sometimes the Academy just favors other performances. Usually American ones.
Next Year
Even with the Oscars almost a year away again, it’s worth looking at what has a shot at nominations next year. Project Hail Mary is definitely getting a few of the visual effects nominations, and Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey will definitely have a slew of nominations. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Tom Cruise comedy Digger could also be a large presence at the Oscars. Still, for other films, it may be too early to tell.
Photo Credit: Unsplash