The 2026 Academy Award heavyweight One Battle After Another is officially available for streaming on Max, following its dominant performance at the 98th Oscars.
Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson and loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s novel Vineland, the film follows the story of an aging ex-revolutionary forced into a high-stakes search for his missing daughter while being pursued by a corrupt military colonel.
The thriller has already secured its place in cinematic history, having earned a total of six Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.
The film marks a significant milestone for Anderson, as it is both his first Best Picture win and his highest-grossing project to date, having earned over 209 million dollars at the global box office.
The cast features Leonardo DiCaprio as the paranoid Bob Ferguson, alongside Sean Penn, who won Best Supporting Actor for his role as the menacing Colonel Lockjaw.
Newcomer Chase Infiniti also received critical acclaim for her debut performance as Ferguson’s daughter, Willa, with Anderson specifically highlighting her as the heart of the movie during his acceptance speech.
Audiences who missed the film during its September 2025 theatrical run can now access the full production on Max as of March 16, 2026. The streaming release arrives just as the film's studio, Warner Bros., navigates a massive 111 billion dollar merger with Paramount Skydance.
Despite the corporate shifts, the success of One Battle After Another has been hailed as a triumph for original, director-driven cinema in an industry increasingly focused on franchises and streaming-exclusive content.