What happened? Leonardo DiCaprio spoke about the box office potential of One Battle After Another.
- In an interview with Variety, DiCaprio was asked if box office returns still matter in today’s Hollywood.
- “I think there’s just an inundation of content and so much production going on now, which is a good thing, obviously,” DiCaprio said. “But I think box office is important because it means people are in the seats going to theater, going to have that communal experience.”
- DiCaprio believes One Battle After Another is “uniquely crafted and specialized” for the theatrical experience.
Why is it important? One Battle After Another is a huge financial gamble for Warner Bros.
- One Battle After Another’s budget sits between $130 million and $175 million. It’s by far the biggest budget for a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.
- NRG tracking (via Matt Belloni) has One Battle After Another opening to $19 million at the domestic box office. Other services believe it could open north of $20 million. For a budget of $130 million, that’s not an ideal start.
- “Paul shot this movie in VistaVision, cameras that have rarely been used since the early ‘60s,” DiCaprio said about the movie. “He wants people to have that immersive experience and make an action film that’s unexpected, tactile, realistic, and something that is probably a lot different than what we’ve been saturated with. In that respect, box office is very important.”
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Why should I care? One Battle After Another is one of the most acclaimed movies of 2025.
- Early reviews of One Battle After Another have been overwhelmingly positive.
- The film is already generating significant Oscar buzz, as it vaults to the top of the Best Picture and Best Director race. Anderson has famously never won an Oscar — 11 nominations and zero wins.
- If One Battle After Another is a box office flop, that doesn’t mean the Academy won’t reward the film with nominations. The Shawshank Redemption, the No. 1 movie on IMDB, flopped at the box office and still received seven Oscar nominations.
Okay, what’s next? One Battle After Another is in theaters on September 26.
- One Battle After Another could be the movie event of the year due to its star power and critical recognition.
- Check out Digital Trends’ 2025 movie rankings.
