Director Paul Thomas Anderson’s comedic action thriller “One Battle After Another” topped box office charts in its debut, collecting $22.4 million from 3,634 North American theaters over the weekend. The film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as an ex-revolutionary on the run, added another $26.1 million internationally for a global tally of $48.5 million.
Box office experts are mixed on what to make of those initial results. A low $20 million debut is disappointing for a film that cost above $130 million to produce and another $70 million to market. And “One Battle After Another” certainly requires a huge turnout — roughly $300 million globally — to break even theatrically. That’s because ticket sales are typically split 50-50 between studios and theater operators.
But the R-rated film is original (and nearly three hours long) and doesn’t enjoy the built-in audience that benefits franchise fare like “Superman” or “Jurassic World: Rebirth.” Building excitement (and getting people to buy a ticket) can take time. Moreover, Warner Bros. keeps defying box office expectations, generating hits of all shapes and sizes from the kid-centric “A Minecraft Movie” and “Superman” to the not-so-family-friendly “Sinners,” “Weapons” and “The Conjuring: Last Rites” since April.
“This movie has a chance of getting to profitability if it lasts long enough in theaters and/or overperforms abroad,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. “It’s going to get a lot of awards nominations, but that’s two to three months away and unlikely to help this immediate release.”
Positive word-of-mouth is key to inspiring the level of staying power that’ll be needed to justify the studio’s sky-high expenses. In that regard, “One Battle After Another” has been rapturously received by audiences (scoring an “A” grade on CinemaScore exit polls) and critics (a 96% Rotten Tomatoes average), which should be a good sign for its theatrical run. Premium large formats like Imax, Dolby and VistaVision, which cost more than the average ticket, will also help bolster its earnings. Those larger-than-life screens contributed a massive 51% of the overall domestic tally, according to Warner Bros.
“One Battle After Another” will test DiCaprio’s box office bankability. (Although Anderson, the director of “Boogie Nights,” “Magnolia” and “The Master,” is considered one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation, his movies aren’t usually commercial draws. For context, Anderson’s highest-grossing film is 2007’s “There Will Be Blood,” which earned $76.4 million globally.) DiCaprio, an A-lister who has proven his theatrical bona fides with “Titanic,” “Inception” and “The Revenant,” was most recently on screen in 2023’s “Killers of the Flower Moon.” That film, directed by Martin Scorsese and co-starring Robert De Niro, opened to $23 million and ended its run with $68 million domestically and $158 million globally.
Will “One Battle After Another,” which opened below “Killers of the Flower Moon,” ultimately prove to be the more commercial offering? Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” DiCaprio stars in “One Battle After Another” as Bob Ferguson, a washed-up revolutionary who’s living off the grid with his daughter, Willa (newcomer Chase Infiniti), until an enemy (played by Sean Penn) resurfaces and threatens to split up the family. Initial ticket buyers were predominantly male (65%) and over the age of 25 (42%).
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“One Battle After Another” loomed over two fellow new releases, Universal’s kid-friendly “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” and Lionsgate’s R-rated slasher “The Strangers: Chapter 2.”
“Gabby’s Dollhouse” debuted in second place with $13.5 million from 3,500 North American theaters, squarely in line with projections. The G-rated film, based on the hit Netflix series aimed at pre-schoolers, earned a coveted “A+” grade on CinemaScore exit polls, which could extend its theatrical life. Universal spent $32 million on production costs.
“The Strangers: Chapter 2” landed at No. 5 with a tepid $5.9 million from 2,650 theaters in its first weekend of release. That’s far below the prior installment in the series, “The Strangers: Chapter 1.” The first slasher reboot launched to $12 million in 2024 and ultimately earned $48 million globally. Although the sequel is unlikely to near those box office heights, the film cost just $8.5 million to produce.
That’s a relief for Lionsgate because reviews and word-of-mouth likely won’t help the film stick around on the big screen. “The Strangers: Chapter 2” was panned by audiences and critics, who saddled the movie with a “C-” grade on CinemaScore and a brutal 18% on Rotten Tomatoes. Renny Harlin directed the follow-up, which brings back the masked maniacs at the center of the first installment. When they discover that one of their victims (Madelaine Petsch) is still alive, they return to finish the job.
“Reviews are poor; that’s not a big deal for horror,” says Gross. “But the audience score is also weak, even for the genre.”
Sony’s anime smash “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” and “The Conjuring: Last Rites” rounded out the top five.
A major sleeper hit, “Demon Slayer” has generated $118.1 million domestically after three weekends to stand as the biggest anime release ever in North America. And business has been even bigger overseas with $487.3 million for a monster global tally of $605.4 million.
“Conjuring” landed at the No. 4 spot with $6.9 million. The paranormal sequel is also breaking records with $161.5 million domestically and $435 million globally, by far the biggest installment in the long-running franchise.
Meanwhile, last weekend’s new offerings, Universal’s “Him” and Sony’s “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” collapsed in their second outings. “Him,” a sports thriller produced by Jordan Peele, collected $3.8 million, a painful 71% decline from its debut. Ticket sales stand at $20.9 million domestically and $21 million globally. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” a romantic drama starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, tumbled all the way to 10th place with $1.2 million, plunging 63% from last weekend. So far, “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” has earned $5.8 million in North America and $8 million overseas against a $45 million budget.
From Variety US