Topline
“One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s new nearly three-hour long thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, reportedly scored a $22.4 million opening weekend after receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences, putting the film firmly on track to be the cinephile darling director’s biggest at the box office.
Director Paul Thomas Anderson, left, and Leonardo DiCaprio pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film “One Battle After Another” on Sept. 16, 2025 in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
2025 Invision
Key Facts
“One Battle After Another” also grossed another $26 million internationally over the weekend, bringing its total for the weekend as high as $48.5 million.
The movie also received an impressive “A” CinemaScore, as well as “universal acclaim” from critics and audiences, according to Metacritic, and is one of the highest-reviewed movies of the 2020s, according to the aggregator.
However, “One Battle After Another” is going to require several more weekends of strong box office sales to make a profit—the film reportedly had a production budget of $130 million, alongside marketing costs that could total $70 million, according to The New York Times.
How Does The Film Compare To Paul Thomas Anderson’s Others?
Anderson is a favorite among critics, but his films have typically struggled at the box office. Although he has directed 10 features since emerging on the independent film scene in the 1990s, his highest grossing movie is still his 2007 drama “There Will Be Blood,” a period piece about oil prospectors that brought in just $40.2 million at the domestic box office over the course of its first run in theaters, in addition to $36.2 million internationally. “There Will Be Blood” was a major cultural phenomenon with eight Oscar nominations and two wins—Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Daniel Day Lewis. “One Battle After Another” was loosely based on Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland”—and it’s not the first time Anderson has adapted a story from the famously elusive author. His 2014 film “Inherent Vice” was based on the Pynchon novel of the same name and featured a cast of big name actors including Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Martin Short—but only managed to gross $8.1 million at the domestic box office, as well as $6.7 million internationally. His most recent film, 2021’s “Licorice Pizza,” grossed only about $345,000 during its opening weekend. The coming-of-age movie grossed $17.3 million total at the domestic box office, alongside another $15.9 million overseas.
How Does This Film Compare To Dicaprio’s Recent Features?
“One Battle After Another” marks another big win for DiCaprio, who continues his run as a leading man after winning the Oscar for Best Actor in 2015 for “The Revenant.” Since then, DiCaprio has mostly focused on major dramas with awards season buzz, including Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” and Adam McKay’s “Don’t Look Up.” Most recently, in 2023, he starred in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese’s epic historical drama about the Osage murders in Oklahoma. “Killers of the Flower Moon” was another three hour-plus drama, which also turned into a major box office hit for DiCaprio—the film opened at $23.2 million, eventually grossing a total of $68 million at the domestic box office before leaving theaters.
How Did Other Films Do This Weekend?
“Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie,” the children’s feature produced by DreamWorks and distributed by Universal, grossed $13.5 million on its opening weekend, placing it in second place behind the DiCaprio thriller. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Infinity Castle” came in third, grossing $7.1 million this weekend. The Japanese anime previously broke records on its opening weekend, becoming the highest-grossing anime film after it brought in a stunning $70 million. “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” a horror hit that debuted earlier in September, remained in fourth place, grossing $6.9 million.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025/09/28/one-battle-after-another-posts-224-million-opening-a-new-best-for-paul-thomas-anderson/
