The Oscars return this Sunday, March 15, as the 98th Academy Awards are staged at Hollywood's Dolby Theatre. The annual ceremony recognises the most notable cinematic achievements of 2025 and traditionally attracts an array of filmmakers, performers and celebrities for an evening celebrating the art of filmmaking.
Here are 10 facts you must know about this year's Oscars:
When Are The Oscars 2026 Scheduled?
The 98th Academy Awards will be broadcast on March 15 at 7 p.m. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), 4 p.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), 11 p.m. GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) and 7 a.m. CST (Central Standard Time).
Viewers in India will be able to watch the 98th Academy Awards live from 4:30 a.m. IST on March 16.
Also Read: Oscars 2026 Predictions: 'Sinners' Or 'One Battle After Another'? Which Film Can Win Best Picture
Where To Watch The Oscars 2026?
Viewers in India can catch the 2026 Oscars broadcast on Star Movies as well as via the JioHotstar streaming platform. Meanwhile, audiences elsewhere can watch the ceremony live on Hulu.
Who Is Hosting The Oscars 2026?
Comedian Conan O'Brien will once again take on hosting duties, returning for a second consecutive year to lead the ceremony and keep the evening's celebrations moving with his trademark humour.
Who Will Present The Oscars 2026?
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) revealed last month that the four winners from the previous ceremony, Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin, Mikey Madison and Zoe Saldana, will return to present awards at this year's Oscars.
Many other stars will hand out honours during the ceremony. The line-up includes Rose Byrne, Nicole Kidman, Jimmy Kimmel, Delroy Lindo, Ewan McGregor, Wagner Moura, Pedro Pascal, Bill Pullman, Lewis Pullman, Channing Tatum and Sigourney Weaver.
Among those previously announced as presenters are Will Arnett, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Hathaway, Paul Mescal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Javier Bardem, Chris Evans, Chase Infiniti, Demi Moore, Kumail Nanjiani and Maya Rudolph.
Who Is Performing At The Oscars 2026?
This year's ceremony will feature performances from Josh Groban, Misty Copeland, Miles Caton and Raphael Saadiq. They will also be joined on stage by the vocalists behind “Golden”, Kim Eun-jae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami.
Who Are The Nominees At The Oscars 2026?
Here is the list of nominees for some of the most-anticipated categories:
Best Picture:
Bugonia
F1
Frankenstein
Hamnet
Marty Supreme
One Battle after Another
The Secret Agent
Sentimental Value
Sinners
Train Dreams
Best Actor:
Timothee Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle after Another
Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon
Michael B. Jordan, Sinners
Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best Actress:
Jessie Buckley, Hamnet
Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue
Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value
Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best Director:
Chloé Zhao, Hamnet
Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme
Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle after Another
Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value
Ryan Coogler, Sinners
What Is New At The Oscars 2026?
The Oscars will introduce a new award this year, recognising excellence in casting. The category, announced in 2024, will honour casting work in films released during 2025.
Among the casting directors nominated for the inaugural prize are Nina Gold for Hamnet, Jennifer Venditti for Marty Supreme, Cassandra Kulukundis for One Battle After Another, Gabriel Domingues for The Secret Agent and Francine Maisler for Sinners.
Who Is Expected To Win At The Oscars 2026?
According to IGN, KPop Demon Hunters appears to be the clear favourite for the Best Animated Feature Film prize. In the acting race, Jessie Buckley is widely tipped to claim Best Actress for her portrayal of Agnes, Shakespeare's grieving wife, in Hamnet, even as many critics continue to praise Rose Byrne for her work in If I Had Legs I'd Kick You.
The screenplay categories are expected to favour Ryan Coogler for Best Original Screenplay and Paul Thomas Anderson for Best Adapted Screenplay. Beyond those categories, however, most other awards remain too close to call, with One Battle After Another and Sinners frequently cited as the leading contenders.
Who Will Be Featured In The In Memoriam Segment?
According to The Independent, the Oscars ceremony is expected to honour several Hollywood figures who died over the past year, including Robert Redford, Diane Keaton, Val Kilmer, Catherine O'Hara, Terence Stamp and Robert Duvall.
Host Conan O'Brien has also revealed that the ceremony will include a dedicated tribute to filmmaker Rob Reiner, known for directing The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap. O'Brien described the segment as “a very powerful part of the show”.
What Are The Controversies In
As per IGN, two developments have drawn attention ahead of this year's Oscars. The first concerns a new voting requirement introduced by AMPAS.
For the first time, members of AMPAS are required to confirm they have watched every nominated film in the categories they vote on.
The rule, introduced a few months after last year's ceremony, allows voters to log viewings through the Academy's screening app, which records playback automatically, or to confirm they watched the films in cinemas or via other means.
Meanwhile, remarks by Timothee Chalamet have also sparked discussion. Speaking during a joint town hall hosted by Variety and CNN alongside his Interstellar co-star Matthew McConaughey, Chalamet reflected on the debate around the future of cinemas.
He said that while he respects actors who campaign publicly for the survival of theatres, he believes audiences will ultimately support films they genuinely want to see, citing blockbusters such as Barbie and Oppenheimer as examples. Chalamet added that he would not want cinema to resemble art forms like ballet or opera that require constant appeals for relevance.
The video began circulating widely online nearly a fortnight after it was first uploaded, and notably after the Oscars voting closed on March 5. While the timing means it is unlikely to affect his awards prospects, the remarks nevertheless stirred debate among supporters of the performing arts.
Several institutions, including the Metropolitan Opera, the English National Opera and the Royal Ballet and Opera, responded on social media, defending their craft and suggesting he experience a live production.
Also Read: Oscars 2026: Who Is Conan O'Brien? All You Need To Know About The Host
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