One Battle After Another tops with 6 awards, including Best Film, Sinners bags 4

One Battle After Another emerged as the Best Picture at the Academy Awards 2026. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the actioner stars Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead.

In Short

• One Battle After Another wins Best Picture at Oscars 2026
• Paul Thomas Anderson directs the acclaimed action film
• One Battle After Another won six awards, Sinner won four

At the 98th Academy Awards, the night’s biggest prize went to One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. He walked away with the Best Picture trophy, capping off a dominant awards season run.

The satirical action-thriller, which premiered to strong reviews last year, had already emerged as a major favourite heading into the Oscars. Its victory at the ceremony held at the Dolby Theatre on March 16 (IST) confirmed its position as one of the most talked-about films of the year.

Plot, cast

Based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the film follows Bob Ferguson, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. Ferguson is a former 1960s counterculture radical who has retreated into isolation, spending his days in a haze of marijuana and nostalgia.

His quiet life is disrupted when he is pulled back into a web of political unrest, extremist movements and government crackdowns. What follows is a chaotic journey that mixes family betrayals, militia confrontations and high-stakes pursuits with Anderson’s signature blend of biting satire and dark comedy.

The film also features memorable performances from Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn and Regina Taylor, adding to the film’s powerful ensemble.

Critical favourite

Critics were quick to embrace the film upon release, praising it for balancing sprawling storytelling with sharp humour. Many described it as a “comedic epic” that manages to remain tense and entertaining without losing momentum.

Reviewers particularly highlighted the film’s exploration of political extremism in modern America, calling it both timely and unsettling.

A section of India Today's review of the film reads, "Yet for all its messiness, 'One Battle After Another' is difficult to dislike. It’s audacious, sometimes maddening, often hilarious and intermittently heartbreaking. 'One Battle After Another' is less about tidy answers and more about the emotional residue of rebellion, the cost of dissent, the stubbornness of love, and the strange, stubborn heroism of not fitting in."

A dominant awards season

One Battle After Another had been building momentum throughout the awards season, even before the Oscars.

At the Critics' Choice Awards, the film won Best Picture and Best Director, among other honours. It also performed strongly at the Golden Globe Awards, taking home four trophies, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Director.

The film received a record seven nominations at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and won six awards at the BAFTA Awards, including Best Film and Best Director.

At the Oscars, the film ultimately secured six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Anderson, and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.

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