The 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards concluded last night, January 4, 2026, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, and the results have sent shockwaves through the 2026 Oscar race. While Ryan Coogler’s Sinners led the night with 17 nominations and 4 wins (same victories as Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein), it was Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” that claimed the evening’s biggest prize: Best Picture.
(L-R) Delroy Lindo, Michael B. Jordan, Francine Maisler, Wunmi Mosaku, Miles Caton and Omar Benson Miller, winners of the Best Casting and Ensemble Award for “Sinners,” attend the 31st Annual Critics Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 04, 2026 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
The night was defined by a mix of expected victories and genuine surprises, most notably in the acting categories where Timothée Chalamet secured his status as the man to beat this season. As the industry looks toward the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards, last night’s winners have established a clear “power map” for the road to the Oscars.
The Full List of Film Winners
Timothée Chalamet (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images) // Jessie Buckley (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) // Amy Madigan (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images) // Jacob Elordi (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
- Best Picture: One Battle After Another
- Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet – Marty Supreme
- Best Actress: Jessie Buckley – Hamnet
- Best Supporting Actor: Jacob Elordi – Frankenstein
- Best Supporting Actress: Amy Madigan – Weapons
- Best Young Actor/Actress: Miles Caton – Sinners
- Best Casting and Ensemble: Francine Maisler – Sinners
- Best Original Screenplay: Ryan Coogler – Sinners
- Best Adapted Screenplay: Paul Thomas Anderson – One Battle After Another
- Best Cinematography: Adolpho Veloso – Train Dreams
- Best Production Design: Tamara Deverell, Shane Vieau – Frankenstein
- Best Editing: Stephen Mirrione – F1
- Best Costume Design: Kate Hawley – Frankenstein
- Best Hair and Makeup: Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel, Cliona Furey – Frankenstein
- Best Visual Effects: Avatar: Fire and Ash
- Best Stunt Design: Wade Eastwood – Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning
- Best Comedy: The Naked Gun
- Best Animated Feature: KPop Demon Hunters
- Best Foreign Language Film: The Secret Agent
- Best Score: Ludwig Göransson – Sinners
- Best Song: “Golden” – Ejae, Mark Sonnenblick, Ido, 24, Teddy – KPop Demon Hunters
- Best Sound: Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo, Juan Peralta, Gareth John – F1
