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Six trophies went home with *One Battle After Another* at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, including Best Picture and Best Director for Paul Thomas Anderson, his first win in the category after decades of near-misses. The ceremony at the Dolby Theatre also delivered a string of historic firsts, a backstage altercation that went viral within hours, and ratings that gave the Academy fresh reason to worry about its television future.The night's other dominant force, Ryan Coogler's *Sinners*, set a record with 16 nominations, surpassing the 14 held jointly by *All About Eve*, *Titanic*, and *La La Land*. Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for his dual performance as twins Smoke and Stack, but the film's haul fell short of expectations against Anderson's war drama.
The Academy has spent the past several years trying to reverse a long slide in viewership while navigating questions about relevance in a streaming-first era. The decision to bring back Conan O'Brien as host for a second consecutive year signaled a bet on continuity after his 2025 stint drew broadly positive reviews.
That bet produced mixed returns. The *Los Angeles Times* called O'Brien the "King of the Oscars," praising his opening monologue that addressed the Los Angeles wildfires and political tensions with characteristic irreverence. The *Brown Daily Herald* took a sharper view, calling his performance "distasteful" and arguing his humor undermined the social weight of the nominated films.
Both leading films came from Warner Bros. Pictures, giving the studio an unusual lock on the ceremony's top tier. The dynamic made for an awkward competition where one division's celebration was another's disappointment under the same corporate roof.
The ceremony produced several firsts that will mark it in Academy history.
Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman and the first woman of color to win Best Cinematography, recognized for her work on *Sinners*. Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for *Hamnet*, becoming the first Irish woman to take the lead acting prize. Amy Madigan collected Best Supporting Actress for *Weapons* four decades after her first nomination.
Sean Penn earned his third acting Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in *One Battle After Another* but was not present to accept it. He was in Ukraine visiting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukrainian State Railways responded by forging him an "Iron Oscar" from the steel of a train carriage destroyed by a Russian missile strike.
The Academy also debuted Best Casting, its first new competitive category since Best Animated Feature was introduced in 2001. Cassandra Kulukundis won the inaugural award for *One Battle After Another*.
A rare tie occurred in Best Live Action Short Film, with *The Singers* and *Two People Exchanging Saliva* sharing the prize. It was only the seventh tie in the ceremony's 98-year history.
For full coverage, visit https://www.linos.ai/entertainment/oscars-2026-winners-ratings-decline/
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