Home / Arts and Entertainment / DiCaprio's Thriller 'One Battle After Another' Tops Box Office, but Faces Profitability Hurdles
DiCaprio's Thriller 'One Battle After Another' Tops Box Office, but Faces Profitability Hurdles
29 Sep
Summary
- Paul Thomas Anderson's new thriller tops box office on opening weekend
- Film stars Leonardo DiCaprio as aging revolutionary
- Needs to make around $300 million to break even, despite $130 million budget
On September 30, 2025, Paul Thomas Anderson's highly anticipated new thriller "One Battle After Another" debuted at the top of the box office, earning $22.4 million in the US and $26.1 million internationally for a global total of $48.5 million. The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio as an aging revolutionary, has received critical acclaim, but analysts are uncertain about its long-term profitability.
According to industry experts, "One Battle After Another" will need to generate around $300 million in revenue to just break even, a tall order given its reported $130 million production budget. The film will also need to cover marketing costs and pay theater operators, further adding to the financial pressure.
"This movie has a chance of getting to profitability if it lasts long enough in theaters and/or overperforms abroad," said David A. Gross of 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."
Despite the box office success so far, some analysts remain skeptical about the film's commercial prospects. "For much of the past several months, there has been widespread scepticism as to whether 'One Battle' will be able to recoup its blockbuster budget," wrote Louis Chilton of The Independent. "Anderson has always inspired a devoted, borderline fanatical, fanbase, but never the mainstream following of a Nolan or a Tarantino."
