Paul Thomas Anderson finally had his long-awaited Oscar moment Sunday night as One Battle After Another emerged as the dominant force at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026.
The political drama, inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, entered the ceremony with 13 nominations and left with six statues, including the night’s biggest honor. Anderson’s sweeping victory capped a career that had long been celebrated by critics but had rarely been rewarded by the Academy.
Among the film’s top achievements were wins for Best Picture, awarded to producers Adam Somner, Sara Murphy, and Anderson, along with Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Anderson himself. The double win for directing and writing marked the filmmaker’s first Oscar triumph after accumulating 14 nominations over the years.
Despite the acclaim on Hollywood’s biggest stage, the film’s awards success arrives alongside a different narrative at the box office. With a reported production cost exceeding $130 million, One Battle After Another had struggled to turn a profit ahead of the ceremony.
The film also delivered an acting win. Sean Penn took home Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw. Penn, now a three-time Oscar winner, was not present to accept the award.
Additional trophies went to Cassandra Kulukundis for Best Casting, the Academy’s newly introduced category, and editor Andy Jurgensen for Best Film Editing.
While Anderson’s film led the evening, Ryan Coogler’s Sinners also made a strong showing with four wins, highlighted by Michael B. Jordan earning the Best Actor award.