The 98th Academy Awards ceremony, held on March 15, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, concluded with a landmark achievement for global music in cinema as the K-pop track 'Golden' secured the Oscar for Best Original Song. This victory marks the first time a K-pop song has received this distinction. Songwriter EJAE, a vocalist for the fictional group Huntrix featured in the Netflix animated film *KPop Demon Hunters*, used her acceptance speech to reflect on past ridicule regarding her musical interests, contrasting it with the current international recognition.
*KPop Demon Hunters*, co-written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and produced by Sony Pictures Animation for Netflix, was a major cultural presence at the event, also winning the award for Best Animated Feature Film. Director Maggie Kang acknowledged the achievement as a sign that future generations would see greater cultural representation. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung issued a statement commending the film for its contribution to cultural visibility.
The supernatural thriller *Sinners*, directed by Ryan Coogler, garnered four significant awards. Ludwig Göransson claimed his third Oscar for Best Original Score for his work on the film, while Michael B. Jordan received the Best Actor award for his performance. Furthermore, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Director of Photography for *Sinners*, made history by becoming the first woman and the first Black person to win the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Durald Arkapaw, who is of Filipino and Creole descent, was one of only four women ever nominated in the category's 98-year history.
Paul Thomas Anderson's feature *One Battle After Another* led the evening's awards, securing six trophies, including the top honors for Best Picture and Best Director. The ceremony also featured an unusual outcome in the Best Live Action Short Film category, which resulted in a tie between *The Singers* and *Two People Exchanging Saliva*. The musical presentation for 'Golden' featured performances by EJAE, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, affirming the Academy's commitment to live musical segments.
Context surrounding the film and song reveals *KPop Demon Hunters*, which premiered on Netflix in June 2025, had already amassed over 500 million cumulative views by the time of the ceremony. The song 'Golden' had previously topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 18 nonconsecutive weeks and achieved double platinum certification in the United States by October 2025. The film's narrative blends K-pop idol culture with Korean mythology, following the group Huntrix as they secretly combat a rival demon boy band, the Saja Boys. The production team for 'Golden' included Ejae, Joong Gyu-kwak, 24, Nam Hee-dong, Yu-han, Teddy Park, and Mark Sonnenblick.
The celebration was partially overshadowed by an incident during producer Yu-Han Lee's acceptance speech for 'Golden,' which was reportedly cut short by the orchestra's play-off music, drawing criticism online regarding time allocation fairness compared to other category presentations. Despite this, the film's overall recognition, including wins at the Golden Globes in January and the Grammy Awards in February for Best Song Written for Visual Media, cemented a significant cultural moment for cross-cultural cinematic collaboration.
