‘One Battle After Another’ Wins Best Picture Oscar

Paul Thomas Anderson's tenth film firmly catapulted the beloved auteur firmly into Oscars territory. The end result? The biggest win of all.

It was a nail-biter to the very end. As this year’s awards season has marched mercilessly onward, one of the biggest questions hinged on which film would walk away with Best Picture. And while that question isn’t traditionally or necessarily a surprising one, this year, it was, mostly because the two frontrunners — Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” and Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” — were both so richly deserving of the win.

On Sunday night in Hollywood, however, it was Anderson and his tenth film that ultimately proved victorious, as “One Battle After Another” won Best Picture. The night’s top honor went to filmmaker and producer Anderson, along with fellow producers Sara Murphy and the late Adam Somner (who also served as first assistant director on the film).

As ever, the Best Picture category was a stacked one, and Anderson’s film won out over not just Coogler’s own critical and box office hit, but also “Bugonia,” “F1,” “Frankenstein,” “Hamnet,” “Marty Supreme,” “The Secret Agent,” “Sentimental Value,” and “Train Dreams.” It also marks the first time an Anderson joint has won Best Picture, though his previous films “There Will Be Blood,” “Phantom Thread,” and “Licorice Pizza” were also nominated in the category.

Earlier in the night, Anderson won his first Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. He quickly followed that with a win for Best Director.

The much-lauded film had previously picked up scads of big wins across the season. Its accolades include three wins at the 31st Critics’ Choice Awards (including Best Picture), four wins at the Golden Globes (including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy), one win and a record seven nominations at the 32nd Actor Awards (including Outstanding Performance by a Cast) six wins at the BAFTA Film Awards (including Best Film), and thirteen nominations at the Oscars. The film was also listed by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2025 and won five awards from the National Board of Review (including Best Film). Phew.

While Anderson typically eschews hitting the campaign trail, he did appear throughout the season at a handful of events, including a Los Angeles screening where he spoke to the film’s prescience to today’s climate. Based on Thomas Pynchon’s novel “Vineland,” Anderson adapted the story for a contemporary setting, and oh boy, can you feel it in the film.

At the event, Anderson responded to a question about his reaction to the film seeming so “timely” by saying, “I can’t say it feels great and I can’t say that it makes me happy. It just makes me feel peculiar. It’s just a movie, at the end of the day. It’s just supposed to be an action movie about a guy trying to get his daughter back. And, what I see every day, it weighs heavy on my heart for the world.”

“One Battle After Another” was also nominated for Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Score, Best Casting, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing at this year’s Oscars. In addition to Anderson’s Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Director win, the film also won Best Casting, Best Editing, and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.

The 98th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday, March 15, with Conan O’Brien returning as host. The ceremony was broadcast live on ABC starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Check out the full list of winners right here.