“One Battle After Another” emerged as the biggest winner of the 98th Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The dark‑humored action thriller directed by Paul Thomas Anderson was awarded Best Picture, and it also took home Oscars for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and, for the very first time, Best Casting. Casting director Cassandra Kulukundis accepted the award for the new category. In total, the film received 13 nominations and secured six wins, allowing Anderson to personally take home three Golden Globes.
The second most successful film of the night was “Sinners”, which collected four trophies. In the Best Actor category, Michael B. Jordan won for his dual lead performances in “Sinners”. The field was regarded as relatively open before the ceremony, with Timothée Chalamet for “Marty” also considered a favorite. For Best Actress, Jessie Buckley’s triumph for her portrayal in the novel adaptation “Hamnet” matched predictions from almost every expert.
In the Supporting Actor and Actress categories, Amy Madigan won for her role in “Weapons” and Sean Penn for “One Battle After Another”; both were early favorites. Best Animated Feature went to “KPop Demon Hunters”, while the foreign‑film Oscar was awarded to Norway’s “Sentimental Value”. Best Original Score was earned by Ludwig Göransson for “Sinners”, with German composer Max Richter for “Hamnet” falling short.
Politically, the ceremony was tinged with commentary. Host Conan O’Brien warned in his opening monologue that the event might contain political messages and urged the international filmmaking community to spread optimism. Acceptance speeches largely held back from overt politics, with the exception of a few remarks in the Documentary category. Jimmy Kimmel took the opportunity to criticize U.S. President Donald Trump. Russian documentary filmmaker Pawel Talankin, whose film “Ein Nobody gegen Putin” won an award, called for the end of all wars. Later, Javier Bardem added calls for “No to war” and “Free Palestine”.
Television audiences are again eagerly awaiting the broadcast ratings for the Oscars. The nominees for Best Picture this year include “F1” (grossing $633 million) and “Sinners” (grossing $370 million) as the only true blockbuster contenders. Historically, years when higher‑gross films receive nominations often see a modest boost in viewership during the awards.
