The 2026 Oscar Winners, Ranked
6 winners, ranked by critical reception and impact, not by how many Oscars they took home.
Sinners
Horror/DramaRyan Coogler84 Metacritic- Actor (Michael B. Jordan)
- Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler)
- Original Score (Ludwig Göransson)
- Cinematography (Autumn Durald Arkapaw)
Ryan Coogler's vampire blues epic, with Michael B. Jordan playing twin brothers. A rare original that was both a critical favorite and a phenomenon (97% Rotten Tomatoes) and a smash: $370M worldwide on a $90M budget. RT · Streaming on HBO Max.
Released Apr 18, 2025
KPop Demon Hunters ★
AnimationSony Pictures Animation77 Metacritic- Animated Feature
- Original Song ("Golden")
A K-pop girl group that secretly hunts demons, and the phenomenon of the year: Netflix's most-watched movie ever, with a soundtrack that topped the charts. Critics liked it less than audiences did (77 Metacritic, 92% Rotten Tomatoes). "Golden" is the first K-pop song to win an Oscar. RT · Streaming on Netflix.
Released Jun 20, 2025 (Netflix)
One Battle After Another
Action/ThrillerPaul Thomas Anderson95 Metacritic- Best Picture
- Director (Paul Thomas Anderson)
- Supporting Actor (Sean Penn)
- Adapted Screenplay (Paul Thomas Anderson)
- Film Editing
- Casting
The best-reviewed film of the year: Leonardo DiCaprio as a burned-out revolutionary in Paul Thomas Anderson's sprawling, darkly funny chase movie. It made $213M worldwide on a $140M budget, short of a hit for its cost. RT · Streaming on HBO Max.
Released Sep 26, 2025
Sentimental Value
DramaJoachim Trier · Norway86 Metacritic- International Feature (Norway)
Joachim Trier's tender family drama about a filmmaker (Stellan Skarsgård) trying to reconnect with his daughters through a new film. Critics put it among the best of 2025 (95% Rotten Tomatoes). RT · Streaming on Hulu.
Released Nov 7, 2025 (US, limited)
Weapons
Horror/MysteryZach Cregger81 Metacritic- Supporting Actress (Amy Madigan)
Zach Cregger's twisty horror mystery about a classroom of kids who vanish on the same night. A huge hit ($269M on a $38M budget), and Amy Madigan's Aunt Gladys became the year's breakout villain. RT · Streaming on HBO Max.
Released Aug 8, 2025
Rank the 2026 Oscar Winners Yourself
Disagree with the critics? Drag these winners into your own tiers with ME-DB's free tier list maker. No sign-up needed.
Try This Tier List →How We Rank
Which winners are included
Every film that won Best Picture, Director, a lead or supporting acting award, Original or Adapted Screenplay, Animated Feature or International Feature. Craft awards (editing, score, cinematography, design, effects, sound, song) are listed on a card when a film won them, but don't put a film on the list by themselves. That is why Frankenstein (3 Oscars, all for design and makeup) and F1 (Sound) aren't ranked.
How the tiers are set
The same way as our monthly tier lists: critical reception (Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes). The number of Oscars a film won does not move it up or down. S tier is kept for true phenomena, films that were loved and seen by everyone, so Sinners and KPop Demon Hunters sit above films with higher critic scores.
S Tier = exceptional, must-watch regardless of genre preferences
A Tier = excellent, highly recommended for fans of the genre
B Tier = good, worth watching if the premise interests you
C Tier = decent, has notable strengths but also clear weaknesses
Frequently Asked Questions
What won Best Picture at the 2026 Oscars?
One Battle After Another. It was the night's biggest winner with 6 Oscars, including Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Paul Thomas Anderson and Best Supporting Actor for Sean Penn.
Who won Best Actor and Best Actress at the 2026 Oscars?
Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for Sinners, and Jessie Buckley won Best Actress for Hamnet. Sean Penn (One Battle After Another) and Amy Madigan (Weapons) won the supporting awards.
What won Best Animated Feature and Best International Feature?
KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animated Feature, and its song "Golden" became the first K-pop song to win Best Original Song. Norway's Sentimental Value won Best International Feature.
When were the 2026 Oscars?
The 98th Academy Awards were held on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Conan O'Brien hosted. The awards honor films released in 2025.
Which 2026 Oscar winner is the best movie?
The S-tier winners are Sinners (97% Rotten Tomatoes, $370M worldwide) and KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix's most-watched movie ever). Best Picture winner One Battle After Another has the top critic score (95 Metacritic) and leads A tier.
