LOS ANGELES (AP) — Amy Madigan received the Best Supporting Actress Oscar on Sunday for her performance in Weapons, while KPop Demon Hunters was awarded Best Animated Feature at the 98th Academy Awards. The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien, unfolded at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
The evening’s most nominated film, Sinners, garnered a record 16 nominations, including bids for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress. Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another followed closely with 13 nominations, also vying for Best Picture and Best Director. Other films competing for the top prize included Bugonia, F1, Hamnet, Frankenstein, Marty Supreme, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, and Train Dreams.
Performances during the broadcast included a rendition of “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters by Huntrix singers Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami. The performance incorporated traditional Korean instrumentation and dance, celebrating the film’s cultural inspirations, according to producers Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan. Miles Caton, from Sinners, joined songwriter Raphael Saadiq to perform “I Lied to You,” accompanied by ballet dancer Misty Copeland, Shaboozey, Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes, and blues legends Bobby Rush and Buddy Guy, alongside Eric Gales, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, and Alice Smith.
Netflix confirmed a sequel to KPop Demon Hunters just days before the ceremony, with directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans returning under a new multi-year deal with the streaming service. The original film, which follows a K-pop group whose music protects fans from supernatural threats, was Netflix’s most-watched film of all time and won a Grammy and Golden Globe for its song “Golden,” which was also nominated for an Oscar.
The Academy Awards telecast aired live on ABC and streamed on Hulu, with YouTube set to develop into the new home of the Oscars beginning in 2029. The red carpet was a distinctive “red rock” brown, lined with Japanese maple trees. Conan O’Brien returned as host for a second consecutive year.
