2026 Oscars: 3 takeaways

One of the most compelling awards seasons in recent memory ended with an Oscar ceremony that felt both encouraging for the movies but also a little underwhelming. Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s Academy Awards:

HOLLYWOOD ISN’T GIVING UP The two biggest Oscar contenders of the year, "Sinners" and "One Battle After Another," both came from Warner Bros., a studio that was nearly sold to Netflix — horrors! — before entering a merger deal with Paramount. Both films were wildly original and financially successful, and the studio is still taking risks: Its latest horror film, "The Bride!," fizzled at the box office but has earned a certain amount of respect as a creative big swing that simply didn’t connect. Paramount has said it will release 15 Warner Bros. titles per year going forward — a big promise that deserves some skepticism, but one that could bode well for the movies.

What's more, Universal recently announced it will play its movies in theaters longer (seven weekends) before making them available on video. Host Conan O’Brien may have alluded to this when he joked that Netflix kingpin Ted Sarandos, who sat in the audience, must be thinking evil thoughts about the crowd: "They should be home alone, so I can monetize it!"

HOLLYWOOD TONES DOWN THE POLITICS "No to war, and free Palestine," Javier Bardem said before presenting (with Priyanka Chopra Jonas) the Oscar for international feature. His words received enthusiastic applause, but given all the other issues roiling America at the moment — from the new war on Iran to the old war in Ukraine to killings by immigration enforcement officials at home — this was a relatively politics-free Oscars. Then again, if longtime activist Sean Penn had showed up to accept his supporting actor Oscar for "One Battle After Another," we may have heard a little more speechifying.

Of course, late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, a seasoned Trump-baiter, couldn’t resist a swipe at "Melania," the film about first lady Melania Trump (which was released in 2026, so not eligible for these Oscars). While presenting the award for documentary feature, Kimmel praised the nominees for their serious subject matter and added: "Then there are documentaries where you walk around the White House trying on shoes."

HOLLYWOOD STILL LOVES HOLLYWOOD As always, the Oscars’ biggest fans are the people who give and receive them. The show started an hour earlier than usual, at 7 p.m. ET, but lasted about 15 minutes longer than scheduled. Presenters tended to stretch out lengthy routines that were only marginally amusing to begin with. The cast of "Bridesmaids," for instance, presenting the award for original score, turned what could have been an endearing reunion into a series of barely comprehensible jokes: Someone handed them written notes, but not musical notes — get it? Likewise, the potentially saucy pairing of "Avengers" castmates Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans (who presented the screenplay awards) felt bland and canned.

That said, there are always moments when a little real emotion shines through. "Thank you very, very much," said Anderson, accepting his first-ever Oscar for directing. "You make a guy work hard for one of these. I really appreciate it."

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com