Warner Bros. nabs 11 Oscars, tying the record for most wins for a single studio
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- Warner Bros. tied the record for most wins by a studio in a single night with 11 Academy Awards.
- The triumph comes amid uncertainty as Paramount Skydance pursues a $111-billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, expected to trigger layoffs.
- “Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” led the studio’s dominant night.
Warner Bros. tied the record for most wins for a studio in a single night with 11 Academy Awards on Sunday, a milestone as the company faces an uncertain future.
The studio won six Academy Awards for “One Battle After Another” and four awards for “Sinners.”
Notable among the accolades was Michael B. Jordan’s Academy Award for lead actor for his dual roles as twins in “Sinners,” “One Battle After Another’s” win for best picture and Amy Madigan’s win for supporting actress in “Weapons.”
The record of 11 is jointly held by MGM for 1959’s “Ben-Hur,” Paramount for 1997’s “Titanic” and New Line Cinema with “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” in 2003, before it was absorbed into Warner Bros.
Netflix was second with seven wins. Walt Disney Co., Apple, Universal-owned Focus Features and Neon all won one each.
In a note to staff Monday morning, Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive David Zaslav said he “could not be prouder” of the company’s achievements.
“The films honored last night represent the very best of our company: bold creative vision, extraordinary craftsmanship, and the kind of storytelling that moves audiences around the world,” he wrote. “What we saw recognized last night is a reminder that this team is truly like no other.”
The awards come at a precarious time for Warner Bros., which is set to be acquired by Paramount Skydance in a mega $111-billion deal for its entire parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.
The film and TV studios, HBO and HBO Max were originally set to be acquired by Netflix before the streaming company dropped its bid last month after an aggressive pursuit by Paramount.
To buy the company, Paramount is taking on $79 billion in debt, a massive amount that many in Hollywood expect will result in steep layoffs targeting overlapping functions and departments across the two companies.
Paramount executives have already identified $6 billion in cost cuts, though they have said the majority of that will come from “nonlabor sources.” The company also said it does not plan to reduce production capacity, with Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison vowing to produce 30 films a year — 15 from each studio.
