It was one rivalry after another as “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” traded wins during Hollywood’s big night on Sunday.
“One Battle After Another” took home six trophies Sunday, including those for best picture and best director, “Sinners” nabbed four and “Frankenstein” picked up three wins for its otherworldly creation of a monster and his world.
“Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” were two tour-de-force works written for the screen by directors exploring the complexities of America’s past and present. “One Battle After Another” looked at the impact of militarized authority—and opened with an armed raid to free detainees at a government immigration center—while “Sinners” examined the complexities of Black American history and cultural erasure. “One Battle After Another” director Paul Thomas Anderson and “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler won trophies for adapted screenplay and original screenplay, respectively.
The Oscars offered an evening of quips from host Conan O’Brien and a muted Timothée Chalamet avoiding barbs from the stage. The show also marked the first-ever win for a female cinematographer (Autumn Durald Arkapaw for “Sinners”) and a rare tie for one category. There was also a tribute to the late Rob Reiner and some misty watercolor memories from Barbra Streisand for the late Robert Redford.
As always, it was a celebration of going to the movies. From the stage, O’Brien took a light jab at Netflix chief executive Ted Sarandos to that effect. “It’s his first time in a theater,” he said. “This is what they’re talking about.”
Michael B. Jordan wins best actor, beating Timothée Chalamet
Michael B. Jordan poses with the Oscar for Best Actor for “Sinners” in the Oscars photo room at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Michael B. Jordan won best actor in one of the most closely watched races of the night. He did so on the strength of a performance that required him to inhabit dual roles as twin brothers Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler’s vampires-in-the-Mississippi Delta smash.
This was his first-ever Oscar win and nomination, and came after his fifth feature collaboration with Coogler. Jordan thanked his director for giving him “an opportunity and space to be seen.” The crowd in Los Angeles loved it: His win was greeted with a standing ovation.
Jordan also praised trailblazing Black actors like Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington and Halle Berry.
Jordan was something of a come-from-behind victor. “Marty Supreme” star Chalamet seemed to be the strong favorite early on, but wins by other actors shook up the field.
Chalamet’s loss capped off a prickly night for the actor, who dodged a bit of mud slung in the direction of his gleaming white suit. In the opening monologue, O’Brien used a joke about faux safety concerns to single out Chalamet and one of the biggest controversies of award season: “I’m told there’s concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities ,” O’Brien said with a look at Chalamet. “They’re just mad you left out jazz.”
“Marty Supreme,” which was nominated for nine awards, went home empty-handed.
Conan O’Brien goes medieval
Josh Groban and host Conan O’Brien perform during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake REFILE – ADDING ID
In his second year as host, Conan O’Brien seemed at home as he launched into his monologue: “I’m honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards,” he said, “Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”
The ceremony kicked off with a prerecorded romp through the nominated films. O’Brien, in fright makeup and wig, looked like Aunt Gladys, the orange-haired witch in the horror movie “Weapons.” The gang of marauding kids from that movie chased O’Brien through scenes of movies from “Marty Supreme” to an animated riff on “KPop Demon Hunters.”
The host noted that Amazon Studios wasn’t nominated for any trophies before asking, “Why isn’t the website I order toilet paper from winning more Oscars?”
There were no outright political moments in the speech, though O’Brien referenced the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Noting that this was the first time since 2012 that a British actor wasn’t nominated for best actor or actress, he quipped: “A British spokesperson said, ‘Yeah, but at least we arrest our pedophiles .’”
Billy Crystal leads emotional Rob Reiner tribute
Billy Crystal speaks about Rob Reiner during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Rob Reiner, the legendary film director, received a special dedicated segment in his memory. Reiner and his wife, Michele Reiner, were murdered last December . He was 78, his wife 70.
The segment was led by Billy Crystal, a close friend of Reiner’s and the star of his 1989 classic romantic comedy, “When Harry Met Sally…” Crystal began the segment by highlighting his slam-dunk decade of movies that were both critically acclaimed and financially successful, such as “This is Spinal Tap,” “Stand By Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “A Few Good Men” and “Misery.”
“My friend Rob’s movies will last for lifetimes because they were about what makes us laugh and cry and what we aspire to be,” Crystal said.
When Michele Singer came into his life, Crystal said, they became an “unstoppable” couple.
“Their loss is immeasurable,” Crystal said. Reiner told him countless times over the years that it had meant everything to him that his work mattered to audiences.
“All we can say is, buddy, what fun we had storming the castle,” Crystal closed his tribute with, referencing a famous line from “The Princess Bride.”
Cast members from Reiner’s films over the years then took to the stage, including John Cusack, Cary Elwes, Meg Ryan, Demi Moore and Kathy Bates.
The Reiner remembrance was followed by a segment that included tributes to the late Diane Keaton by Rachel McAdams and the late Robert Redford by Barbra Streisand.
The ceremony featured a surprise tie and other light moments
Anna Wintour and Anne Hathaway stand onstage during the Oscars show at the 98th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 15, 2026. REUTERS/Mike Blake
A tie at the Oscars? “I didn’t know that was a thing,” Sam A. Davis said while accepting one of a shock two Oscars awarded for best live action short film on behalf of his “The Singers.” A moment later, the filmmakers behind “Two People Exchanging Saliva” took the stage to accept their award. It turned out, as presenter Kumail Nanjiani explained, that the films had tied for the win. The occasion is as rare as you’d expect: this marks the seventh tie in Oscars history. (The last came in 2012, for sound editing.) “Ironic that the short film Oscar is going to take twice as long,” Nanjiani joked.
Another surprise of the night: Vogue legend Anna Wintour saw the light of day, at least for a moment. When presenting the Oscar for costume design, Wintour appeared without her signature sunglasses alongside Anne Hathaway in a tease for Hathaway’s upcoming “The Devil Wears Prada 2.” The actress asked Wintour what she thought of her dress, to which Wintour put on her shades—and her chilliest tone—and said, “And the nominees are.”
O’Brien spoofed the Hollywood studios pushing for filmmakers to reiterate plot points to make it easier for audiences watching two screens at home to keep up. Then he and Sterling K. Brown re-enacted the famous “of all the gin joints” piano scene between Rick and Sam from “Casablanca.” O’Brien and Brown kept reminding each other where they were and what was happening. “World War II,” Brown said as Sam, “that’s the Hitler one, right?”
Write to Ellen Gamerman at ellen.gamerman@wsj.com , John Jurgensen at John.Jurgensen@wsj.com , Sam Schube at sam.schube@wsj.com and Ashley Wong at ashley.wong@wsj.com
