Oscars 2026: Sinners and One Battle After Another Lead Race

“Sinners” Nabs Record 16 Oscar Noms, but “One Battle” Is the Best Picture Favorite

At the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” makes history while “One Battle After Another” is widely predicted to win the night’s top prize.

Ryan Kowalski

Mar 15, 2026, 9:09 AM PT · 2 min read

Jayme Lawson Jack O'Connell Miles Caton — Photo: The Movie Blog / CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

THE RUNDOWN

The 98th Academy Awards are held today, March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre.
Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” leads all films with a record-setting 16 Academy Award nominations.
“One Battle After Another” is the Best Picture frontrunner with 13 total nominations.
Michael B. Jordan stars in “Sinners,” which is currently distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Experts from Polymarket and the Los Angeles Times predict “One Battle” for Best Picture.

The 98th Academy Awards are officially underway today, March 15, 2026, and the atmosphere at the Dolby Theatre is electric. Ryan Coogler’s supernatural thriller Sinners is the film to beat in terms of volume. The Warner Bros. Pictures production has already made history by securing a record-breaking 16 nominations. This staggering tally surpasses the previous record of 14 nominations held by Titanic and All About Eve. Leading man Michael B. Jordan is a top contender for Best Actor in a race that has dominated the awards season conversation.

Despite the record-setting nomination count for Sinners, the battle for Best Picture remains a high-stakes showdown. One Battle After Another enters the ceremony with 13 nominations of its own and significant momentum. According to prediction data from Polymarket and analysis from AwardsWatch, the war drama is currently the heavy favorite to win the night’s biggest trophy. Experts at the Los Angeles Times suggest the film’s narrative weight has resonated deeply with the Academy’s voting block.

The ceremony is being broadcast live on ABC, featuring a field that highlights a massive year for theatrical releases. While Sinners is expected to sweep many of the technical categories, industry insiders are watching to see if One Battle After Another can pull off the win for Best Picture. As CBS Sunday Morning reported earlier today, the 98th edition of the Oscars is poised to be one of the most competitive and historic ceremonies in the Academy’s history.