NEW YORK, NY, March 16 — USA TODAY, part of USA TODAY Co., Inc. (NYSE: TDAY), announced Warner Bros. Pictures’ “One Battle After Another,” written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, as the winner of the second annual USA TODAY Movie Meter competition. The Movie Meter platform gives movie fans the ballot, empowering audiences to choose which nominee deserves the “Film of the Year” designation. “One Battle After Another” follows a former revolutionary forced out of hiding when a nemesis returns and his daughter disappears, igniting a high‑stakes, generational reckoning. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, with Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, Benicio del Toro and Chase Infiniti, the film blends dark satire and intimate family drama with propulsive action to explore the complexity of rebellion and resistance.
USA TODAY Movie Meter panelists rated the 10 films nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the “Best Picture” category for the Academy Awards from March 4 to March 15 at 12 midnight EST. USA TODAY Movie Meter panelists had the theatrical trailers available for viewing and rated all the eligible films on a scale from one as the lowest to five as the highest. Based on the total number of votes, the film with the highest average rating was named the winner.
The top five films, as rated by the 2026 USA TODAY Movie Meter panelists are:
- “One Battle After Another” – 4.05
- “Sinners” – 3.94
- “Hamnet” – 3.80
- “Train Dreams” – 3.57
- “Bugonia” – 3.45
“We sincerely congratulate the artists, creators and producers of ‘One Battle After Another’ being named the 2026 USA TODAY Movie Meter winner, as voted by a nationwide audience of movie aficionados,” said Monica Richardson, Senior Vice President of USA TODAY. “Movie Meter continues to deliver on our mission to put audiences at the center of entertainment and culture. Building on that momentum, we expanded the franchise with the launch of USA TODAY Style Meter to coincide with the Oscars, as a fashion forward opportunity for the public to rate the hottest red carpet looks.”
