The Critics Choice Awards, 31st iteration, took place on Sunday evening at the Barker Hangar and proclaimed One Battle After Another to be the definitive film of the year. Paul Thomas Anderson‘s powerful, genre-hopping epic had clearly won out as the evening’s champion, taking home prizes for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. Hot on the heels of a recent shift to an HBO Max streaming release, Sunday’s sweep reinforced the film’s remarkable ability to bring together critical accolades and mainstream traction in a fractured film landscape.
Hosted by Chelsea Handler for the fourth consecutive year, the event mirrored the industry’s involvement in bold storytelling. The winners at the end of the night showcased the shift of the industry in embracing bold filmmaking ideas. One Battle After Another was at the heart of the change, and Anderson’s direction was recognized as full of energy and ideas, solidifying his position as one of the most uncompromising filmmakers of the current age.
Winning performances onscreen and streaming giants dominate the evening
The acting categories brought some of the most discussed moments of the night. Timothée Chalamet accepted the Best Actor award for his remarkable performance playing quirky table tennis legend Marty Mauser in “Marty Supreme.” Chalamet’s performance is the next step in his speedy transformation from an arthouse leading man to a leading cinematic star of his generation. Fans and audiences were shocked when he thanked his partner, Kylie Jenner, in his acceptance speech.
Best Actress was awarded to Jessie Buckley in recognition of a raw, emotionally charged performance in Hamnet, further solidifying the actress’s position as a completely unafraid presence on screen. Buckley’s speech, which included a playful shout-out to fellow nominee Paul Mescal, included moments of genuine warmth—it was one of the most shared moments of the night on social media.
Television-wise, Max was dominant in the drama category due to ‘The Pitt.’ ‘The Pitt’ won the Best Drama Series, and Noah Wyle and Katherine LaNasa won acting awards, indicating a positive awards season performance for the platform. Apple TV+ also made its presence known, as ‘The Studio’ won Best Comedy Series and Seth Rogen won Best Actor in a Comedy, solidifying Apple’s increasing power within prestige television.
Meanwhile, Netflix also dominated other categories. KPop Demon Hunters won Best Animation Film, while Adolescence bagged Best Limited Series. For the technical awards, Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein won all awards offered under Production Design, Costume Design, and Hair & Makeup. Netflix’s Train Dreams won the award for Best Cinematography. Taken together, the night showed the future of awards is marked by the coexistence of filmmaker-led cinema and streaming series as equal tracks rather than alternative tracks for the awards industry going forward.
The complete list of the Critics Choice Awards Winners (with streaming info)
Film Awards
Best Picture
One Battle After Another — HBO Max
Best Foreign Language Film
The Secret Agent
Best Director
Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another
Best Actress
Jessie Buckley — Hamnet
Best Actor
Timothée Chalamet — Marty Supreme
Best Animated Feature
KPop Demon Hunters — Netflix
Best Comedy Film
The Naked Gun — Prime Video, Paramount+
Best Original Screenplay
Sinners — Prime Video, HBO Max
Best Adapted Screenplay
One Battle After Another
Best Supporting Actress
Amy Madigan — Weapons — HBO Max
Best Supporting Actor
Jacob Elordi — Frankenstein — Netflix
Best Casting & Ensemble
Sinners
Best Young Actor/Actress
Miles Caton — Sinners
Best Cinematography
Train Dreams — Netflix
Best Editing
F1 — Apple TV+
Best Sound
F1
Best Score
Sinners
Best Song
“Golden” — KPop Demon Hunters
Best Visual Effects
Avatar: Fire & Ash
Best Production Design
Frankenstein
Best Costume Design
Frankenstein
Best Hair & Makeup
Frankenstein
Best Stunt Design
Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning — Paramount+
Television Awards
Limited & TV Movies
Best Limited Series
Adolescence — Netflix
Best TV Movie
Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy — Peacock
Best Actress (Limited Series or TV Movie)
Sarah Snook — All Her Fault — Peacock
Best Actor (Limited Series or TV Movie)
Stephen Graham — Adolescence
Best Supporting Actress (Limited Series)
Erin Doherty — Adolescence
Best Supporting Actor (Limited Series)
Owen Cooper — Adolescence
Drama Series
Best Drama Series
The Pitt — HBO Max
Best Actress (Drama Series)
Rhea Seehorn — Pluribus — Apple TV+
Best Actor (Drama Series)
Noah Wyle — The Pitt
Best Supporting Actress (Drama Series)
Katherine LaNasa — The Pitt
Best Supporting Actor (Drama Series)
Tramell Tillman — Severance — Apple TV+
Comedy Series
Best Comedy Series
The Studio — Apple TV+
Best Actress (Comedy Series)
Jean Smart — Hacks — HBO Max
Best Actor (Comedy Series)
Seth Rogen — The Studio
Best Supporting Actress (Comedy Series)
Janelle James — Abbott Elementary — Hulu
Best Supporting Actor (Comedy Series)
Ike Barinholtz — The Studio
Animation, Variety & Talk
Best Animated Series
South Park — Paramount+
Best Foreign Language Series
Squid Game — Netflix
Best Talk Show
Jimmy Kimmel Live! — Hulu
Best Variety Series
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver — HBO Max
Best Comedy Special
SNL50: The Anniversary Special
