Paul Thomas Anderson’s 'One Battle After Another' secured the top prize at the 98th Academy Awards, taking home Best Picture and cementing its place as a definitive American saga on Sunday. The win felt like a long-overdue coronation for the San Fernando Valley native who, despite being one of the most celebrated directors of his generation, had remarkably never won an Oscar until now.
It was a stellar night for Warner Bros., the studio behind both Anderson’s political epic and Ryan Coogler’s vampire thriller 'Sinners'. However, the evening’s triumphs were tinged with a certain melancholy; only weeks ago, the historic studio agreed to a sale to David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance. As the industry awaits regulatory approval for the merger, the celebrations at the Dolby Theatre were shadowed by the looming threat of further redundancies across the newly-formed media monolith.
History was also made in the technical categories, as 'Sinners' cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw became the first woman to win the Oscar for Best Photography. Meanwhile, Michael B Jordan’s Best Actor win provided one of the night’s most popular moments, rounding off a dominant showing for Coogler’s visionary project.
In a year plagued by existential dread over the encroachment of artificial intelligence (AI) and the shrinking of traditional studio budgets, the success of the two films offered a glimmer of optimism. Both ‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Sinners’ stood out as rarities: big-budget, original stories driven by a singular creative voice rather than a franchise blueprint. For a few hours, at least, the Academy seemed intent on proving that Hollywood’s future still belongs to the storytellers.
Also read: ‘Sinners’ one of the best films of the year: Vin Diesel
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