Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘One Battle After Another’ Leads Golden Globes as Zhao’s ‘Hamnet’ Wins Drama

Paul Thomas Anderson had already been to the stage twice when his name was called a third time Sunday night. As One Battle After Another was announced as best motion picture, musical or comedy, the writer-director joined his producers again at the Beverly Hilton, capping a night in which his violent, political epic became the most decorated film at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards.

Moments earlier, Chloé Zhao had stood on the same stage beside producer Steven Spielberg to accept the prize for best motion picture, drama, for Hamnet, her intimate portrait of William Shakespeare’s family consumed by grief. In a ballroom perched above a newly built, Met Gala-style staircase on Wilshire Boulevard and amid reports of seven-figure gift bags for presenters and winners, it was two films about mourning and revolt that defined Hollywood’s self-styled “party of the year.”

The 83rd Golden Globes, held Sunday, Jan. 11, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills and broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+, marked the unofficial start of the 2026 film and television awards season. Hosted for a second year by comedian Nikki Glaser, the three-hour telecast presented a retooled Golden Globes under new ownership, but the narrative of the night quickly centered on a pair of films that now move to the front of the Oscar and guild races.

Hamnet, a British historical drama directed by Zhao and adapted from Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel, won best picture in the drama category and best actress in a drama for Jessie Buckley. One Battle After Another took four awards — best motion picture, musical or comedy; best director; best screenplay; and best supporting actress — the largest haul for any film this year.

“We’re here because of you”

Produced by Neal Street Productions, Hera Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Hamnet reframes Shakespeare’s life through the perspective of his wife, Agnes (Anne) Hathaway, as the couple grapples with the death of their 11-year-old son in 1596 and the creative aftershocks that lead to Hamlet.

Accepting the drama picture trophy, Spielberg praised Zhao as uniquely suited to the material.

“There was really only one filmmaker on the face of the planet who could tell this story of Agnes, and that’s Chloé Zhao,” he said onstage, before yielding the microphone.

Zhao used her time to talk about vulnerability and the emotional cost of making the film, quoting star Paul Mescal, who plays Shakespeare.

“Paul said something to me this morning,” she told the audience. “He said that making Hamnet made him realize that the most important thing of being an artist is learning to be vulnerable enough to allow ourselves to be seen for who we are, not who we ought to be.”

She added that artists must “give ourselves fully to the world, even the parts of ourselves that we’re ashamed of, that we’re afraid of, that are imperfect.”

Zhao also addressed crew members who experienced personal loss during the shoot.

“Some of our crew lost their loved ones while we were making this film, and some are still struggling,” she said. “We just want to say that we are thinking of you, we are here because of you, and we are part of your community.”

Earlier in the night, Buckley’s performance as Agnes had earned her the Globe for best actress in a motion picture, drama, solidifying a run that already includes key critics’ prizes and a Critics Choice Award.

“It was extraordinary to be part of a story about probably the most famous Brit who ever lived, and to tell it with a Chinese director, lots of Irish, a mostly Polish crew, alongside our British family,” Buckley said, highlighting the film’s multinational production.

In one of the telecast’s most replayed moments, Buckley also thanked key grip Tomasz Sternicki for making goulash in a cast-iron pot out of the back of his truck during a cold day on set, calling it “the best soup I’ve ever tasted.” The anecdote underscored the film’s emphasis on domestic spaces and the community that formed around its production.

Despite strong critical reception and festival awards, including the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hamnet has so far delivered modest theatrical returns on its reported $30 million to $35 million budget. Its Globes performance, and Buckley’s prominent position in the best actress race, are expected to boost its visibility as awards voters finalize ballots.

A revolutionary saga in VistaVision

If Hamnet represents this season’s archetypal prestige drama, One Battle After Another is its outsized counterweight: a black comedy action thriller that marries arthouse ambition with large-format spectacle.

Written and directed by Anderson and loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel Vineland, the film follows an aging ex-revolutionary forced back into clandestine conflict when he and his daughter are targeted by a corrupt military officer. Shot in VistaVision and exhibited in IMAX and 70mm formats, it is the most expensive production of Anderson’s career, with a budget reported between $130 million and $175 million, and his highest-grossing, with worldwide receipts of about $206 million.

“One Battle After Another was nine times nominated and four times victorious tonight,” Glaser said, introducing its final win.

Anderson’s haul — best director and best screenplay for a motion picture, plus best picture in the musical or comedy category — places him among a small group of filmmakers to sweep those categories for a single film. Teyana Taylor’s win for best supporting actress in a motion picture, for her role as a revolutionary organizer, marked a milestone for the musician turned actor, who has increasingly taken on dramatic parts.

Producer Sara Murphy accepted the film’s best picture trophy and dedicated it to Adam Somner, the veteran assistant director and producer who died in 2024 and had collaborated with Anderson on several previous films.

“This was Adam’s last movie with us,” Murphy said. “We made it for him, and we share this with him.”

The Globes victories reinforce momentum that was already strong. One Battle After Another swept the four major U.S. critics’ groups — the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle, National Board of Review and National Society of Film Critics — a rare feat in awards history. It also collected a record seven nominations at the SAG-AFTRA Actor Awards, including outstanding performance by a cast and recognition in every individual film acting category.

Those results, combined with the Globes, position the film as a leading contender for best picture, director and multiple craft categories at the Academy Awards. Nominations for the 98th Oscars are scheduled to be announced Jan. 22.

A rebranded Globes seeks stability

The dominance of Hamnet and One Battle After Another unfolded as the Globes continue to distance themselves from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which was disbanded after years of criticism over diversity and ethics. In 2021, news reports revealed that the HFPA had no Black members and raised questions about members’ financial arrangements and relationships with studios. NBC dropped its broadcast of the 2022 ceremony, and studios and publicists organized boycotts.

In 2023, Dick Clark Productions and investment firm Eldridge acquired all Golden Globes assets. The nonprofit Golden Globe Foundation was created to handle charitable giving, while Dick Clark Productions, now part of Penske Media Eldridge, produces the show as a for-profit venture.

The voting body has been expanded and reconstituted into a group of about 300 international entertainment journalists from 85 countries. A longtime practice of paying voting members a salary, reported at $75,000 annually, has been ended.

This year’s broadcast was the third under a renewed partnership with CBS, which signed a five-year deal to air the Globes through the 2020s after ratings rebounded in 2024 and 2025. The network said last year’s show drew more than 10 million viewers across platforms, a strong number in a declining live television market.

Beyond film, HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt won best television drama series, with star Noah Wyle taking best male actor in a drama series. Wyle used his speech to thank healthcare workers and later posted a photograph of his Globe alongside a handmade “Best Dad” trophy on social media, writing, “My heart is full.”

Apple TV+ comedy The Studio was named best musical or comedy series, while British limited series Adolescence swept four awards, including best limited or anthology series and supporting acting prizes for 16-year-old Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham and Erin Doherty. Cooper’s win made him the youngest recipient of the supporting actor in television Globe.

The ceremony also continued to experiment with newer categories, including a cinematic and box office achievement award and a prize for stand-up comedy performance on television. A podcast category appeared on the telecast for the first time, with Good Hang with Amy Poehler winning.

Outside the ballroom, the red carpet was moved onto Wilshire Boulevard because of construction at the Beverly Hilton. The temporary structure, featuring a long staircase, drew comparisons to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s gala and created a more theatrical entrance for guests. Media outlets reported that gift bags for winners and presenters were valued at roughly $1 million and included an ultra-rare Hearach single malt whisky, yacht charters and luxury spa packages.

Toward Oscars and beyond

For the film industry, the night’s results served less as a surprise than as confirmation. Hamnet had already secured a place on the American Film Institute’s list of the year’s top 10 films and collected audience awards on the festival circuit. One Battle After Another has been widely described by critics as the year’s standout, and its record number of SAG nominations signals extensive support among actors.

What remains to be seen is whether the Golden Globes, reshaped after scandal and under new management, still have the power to move voters in other branches of the industry. Historically, wins in the Globes’ best picture and lead acting categories have often aligned with Oscar outcomes, though not always. With Oscar ballots opening this month, studios behind both films are likely to lean on the Globes’ visibility in their final awards campaigns.

As the Beverly Hilton ballroom emptied and attendees headed down the staircase to after-parties on Wilshire and beyond, Zhao’s and Anderson’s ensembles left with armfuls of hardware and elevated expectations. For at least one awards season, the first major trophies of the year went to a story of a family undone by loss and to a saga of insurgents defying state power — an early indication of which stories Hollywood’s prize-givers believe deserve to be at the center of its biggest stages.