'One Battle After Another' opens with $22.4 million
[September 29, 2025]
By JAKE COYLE
NEW YORK (AP) — “One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s
widely acclaimed American epic of rebellion and resistance, opened with
$22.4 million in ticket sales from North American theaters over the
weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Anderson’s ultracontemporary opus signifies a major gamble by Warner
Bros. With “One Battle After Another,” the studio is making a $130
million-plus bet that audiences would come out for 170-minute-long
powerhouse drama from one of cinema’s most celebrated auteurs the way
they usually only turn up for a franchise or superhero movie.
Anderson, many critics said, delivered the movie of year. “One Battle
After Another,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn,
has been hailed as a film brimming with many of the political conflicts
of today. Oscar prognosticators have pegged it this year’s best-picture
front-runner. Aided by DiCaprio’s drawing power, the film added $26.1
million overseas.
But good reviews, star power and a marquee filmmaker are nowadays often
insufficient to make a hit. For a movie that cost at least $130 million
to make, plus many millions more to market, “One Battle After Another”
will have a long road to reach profitability. For most releases with
such a high budget, a $22.4 million start would be a disappointment.
Executives for Warner Bros. declined to be interviewed about the
opening.
Yet “One Battle After Another,” like movies from earlier movie eras,
will hope its time in theaters is more about the long run than opening
weekend. Warners is hoping word-of-mouth, awards conversation and a
rolling awareness that “One Battle After Another” is a major movie
event, will keep ticket sales strong in the weeks, or even months, to
come.
Some signs suggest that’s possible. Audiences gave “One Battle After
Another” an “A” CinemaScore. That’s far better than CinemaScores for
previous Anderson wide releases, including 1997’s “Boogie Nights” (“C”),
1999’s “Magnolia” (“C-”) and 2002’s “Punch-Drunk Love” (“D+).
“The long-term playability is going to be key for this," said Paul
Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “And given the
outpouring of support by critics and audiences, alike, that's where it's
going to make back its budget.”
Yet as highly regarded as Anderson is, his films have rarely made a big
impact at the box office. His biggest hit was 2007’s “There Will Be
Blood,” which collected $76.4 million worldwide.
For Warner Bros., “One Battle After Another” marked its ninth movie this
year to open No. 1, more than any other studio. That success — with $4
billion in global sales — has included some refreshingly original films
that haven’t always made their most obvious way into theaters.
Warners released Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” in April, and it went on to
gross $366.7 million worldwide. “One Battle After Another” chose to opt
out of the usual fall festival platforms for prestige films, and first
screened while most critics were in Venice or Toronto. Yet “Sinners” and
“One Battle After Another” will likely be favorites for many of the same
prizes in the coming awards season.
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This image released by Warner Bros. Pictures shows Leonardo DiCaprio
in a scene from "One Battle After Another." (Warner Bros. Pictures
via AP)
 Anderson’s film, loosely inspired by
Thomas Pynchon’s “Vineland,” stars DiCaprio as a former
revolutionary living off the grid with his teenage daughter (Chase
Infiniti). Shot in VistaVision, “One Battle After Another” played in
several large-screen formats, including 70mm, IMAX, 70mm and, on
four screens, in VistaVision.
Second place went “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie.” The Universal
Pictures release, produced by DreamWorks Animation, grossed $13.5
million in 3,500 theaters. It’s a good start for the G-rated film,
based on the long-running series. “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie,”
which cost $32 million to make, also earned an “A+” CinemaScore from
audiences.
After two weeks atop the charts Sony Pictures and Crunchyroll’s
sleeper hit “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” slid to
third place. It added $7.1 million to its $118.1 million haul, a
North American record for anime releases.
Top 10 movies by domestic box office
With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors
in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Comscore:
1. “One Battle After Another,” $22.4 million.
2. “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie,” $13.7 million.
3. “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,” $7.1 million.
4. “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” $6.9 million.
5. “The Strangers: Chapter 2,” $5.9 million
6. “Him,” $3.7 million.
7. “The Long Walk,” $3.4 million.
8. “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale,” $3.3 million.
9. “They Call Him OG,” $1.4 million.
10. “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” $1.3 million.
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