The 98th Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles on Sunday, featuring memorable performances and historic moments while recognizing art and film achievements.

Conan O’Brien returned to host after a popular 2025 performance. To start the show, he followed up on his opening to last year’s ceremony, where he mocked “The Substance.” This time, he imitated Gladys, the main antagonist from “Weapons,” showing her running from children through the set of every film nominated for Best Picture.

Going into the ceremony, “Sinners” had become the most nominated film in Oscars’ history, receiving 16 nominations. However, “One Battle After Another” won the most at the show, winning six awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Casting, becoming the first winner of the newly added award.

Despite this, “Sinners” still came home with four wins, including Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score, where composer Ludwig Göransson took his third Oscar win in that category. Additionally, Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of twins Smoke and Stack in the vampire film, making him the first actor in over 60 years to win an Oscar for playing dual roles.

Jessie Buckley won the award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in the film “Hamnet.” This came after wins at the Actor Awards, BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice Awards and Golden Globes, pushing her ahead as the Oscar favorite throughout the awards season. She was widely praised for an emotional and heartbreaking performance as a grieving mother.

Sean Penn won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, where he played Steven J. Lockjaw in “One Battle After Another,” a colonel who is willing to do whatever it takes to join the Christmas Adventurers Club, a white supremacist group. Despite becoming a three-time winner, he skipped the ceremony. He was seen in Ukraine and likely missed the ceremony to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Amy Madigan received the Best Supporting Actress award for her portrayal of Gladys, the primary antagonist of the horror-mystery “Weapons.” While her performance did not have as much of an awards push and was the film’s only nomination, Madigan’s performance was still highly praised as a menacing villain.

“Frankenstein” was also a big winner during the ceremony, taking home awards for many of its technical aspects — Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Costume Design. Surprisingly, “Marty Supreme” did not win any awards, despite being nominated for nine and winning one at the Golden Globes. This made it one of the most nominated films to win zero Oscars. “The Secret Agent,” “Blue Moon” and “Bugonia” were also nominated for multiple awards but left empty-handed.

The ceremony also paid tribute to some of the most prominent figures in the film industry who passed away last year with its “In Memoriam” segment. Billy Crystal spoke about the late Rob and Michele Reiner and Rachel McAdams paid tribute to actresses Diane Keaton and Catherine O’Hara. After a video package, Barbra Streisand eulogized actor Robert Redford, who passed away at the age of 89.

The night included fun and exciting moments. The seventh tie in the history of the Academy Awards occurred in the Live Action Short Film category, between “The Singers” and “Two People Exchanging Saliva.” There were electric performances of “I Lied to You” and “Golden,” two of the nominations for Best Original Song, with the latter winning the award.

Overall, the night consisted of exciting wins, such as Paul Thomas Anderson winning Best Directing for the first time after nearly 30 years. The show was also filled with funny bits, including O’Brien’s cold opening and ending skit, which spoofed the ending of Best Picture winner “One Battle After Another.” All in all, the ceremony showcased the ability that film has to unite people and recognize artistic talent.