Warner Bros. dominates Oscars with 11 wins ahead of its acquisition by Paramount
Before its acquisition by Paramount Skydance, Warner Bros. dominated the 2026 Oscars with 11 wins mainly for Ryan Coogler’s film. Sinners and that of Paul Thomas Anderson One battle after another. Netflix also performed well with seven Oscars, including two for Demon Hunters KPop and three for that of Guillermo Del Toro Frankenstein.
In total, dedicated streaming services won eight awards, but were excluded from the major prizes. Frankenstein won trophies for Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling, while Demon Hunters KPop won Best Animated Film and Best Original Song. Netflix also won awards for All the empty rooms (Best Short Documentary Film) and The singers (Best Live-Action Short Film). Apple TV won the other streaming service Oscar for F1 (Best sound).
Warner Bros. dominated the most prestigious awards. The studio won its first Academy Award for Best Picture (One battle after another) Since Argo won in 2012, while also winning Anderson the Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay awards, and giving Sean Penn the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Sinnersmeanwhile, won Best Cinematography, giving Autumn Durald Arkapaw the first-ever win for a woman and a woman of color in that category. Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor for this film, while director Ryan Coogler won Best Original Screenplay.
Other notable acting awards were won by Jessie Buckley (Best Actress, Hamnet) and Amy Madigan (Best Supporting Actress, Weapons).
Host Conan O’Brien joked that it was Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos’ “first time at the movies.” However, it remains to be seen whether Netflix’s loss to Paramount Skydance in the Warner Bros. acquisition. will be to the advantage or detriment of the film industry. One of the obvious losers of late is television broadcasting, as the 2026 Oscars will be Walt Disney’s penultimate ABC broadcast, while YouTube is expected to stream the ceremony exclusively starting in 2029.
