MOVIE NEWS – Paul Thomas Anderson isn’t known for box-office blowouts, yet One Battle After Another broke his career record by its second weekend. A $22.4 million domestic debut and brisk overseas traction show much broader interest than the pre-release doomers suggested. With a hefty ~$130 million budget, the final math is still in play, but the narrative of “disappointment” doesn’t fit the data.

Anderson’s films typically skew prestige over populism, but his latest action epic has already topped the worldwide haul of 2017’s There Will Be Blood (just over $77 million). The $22.4 million domestic opening is the best of his career—far eclipsing Magnolia’s $5.7 million wide-release start in early 2010—though it doesn’t, by itself, neutralize that ~$130 million production spend.

The Box-Office War Isn’t Settled Yet

Running 162 minutes, One Battle After Another pairs thunderous car chases and firefights with a colorful ensemble, headlined by Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob Ferguson (“Ghetto” Pat Calhoun), a washed-up radical shielding his daughter from a corrupt military officer. Internationally, it bowed to $26.1 million; the real tell was the second-weekend hold.

For context, DiCaprio’s prior theatrical, the nearly 3.5-hour Killers of the Flower Moon, fell 60% after a $23 million domestic opening, on its way to $68 million domestic and $158+ million worldwide against a $200M+ cost. By contrast, One Battle After Another dipped 49% to $11.1 million in weekend two—a respectable hold, but not an automatic ticket to $100 million domestic unless Warner Bros. keeps it in theaters through awards season, where multiple Oscar nods could meaningfully lift grosses.

DiCaprio’s Name Still Buys a Baseline

Sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes and buoyed by raves, the film clearly benefits from word of mouth—but the $22.4 million opening chiefly reflects DiCaprio’s bankable pull. It’s his 11th non-franchise vehicle to clear $20 million on opening weekend, from Titanic to The Revenant. Short list aside from Tom Cruise, no one else so reliably guarantees that floor.

Absent DiCaprio, Anderson likely would have stayed in his usual box-office lane—much like There Will Be Blood, which finished with a modest $40-ish million domestic despite masterpiece status. Here, the star and the most crowd-pleasing package of Anderson’s career broadened the aperture.

Breaking Even Will Be a Grind, Not a Sprint

Through weekend three, worldwide sits around $138 million. With ~$130 million production plus an estimated ~$70 million in marketing, theatrical breakeven looms near $300 million global. That’s the profile of a slow-burn awards contender, à la Argo ( $19.4M open → $136M domestic ) or Best Picture winner The Departed ( $26.8M open → $132M domestic ).

While that climb currently looks steep, prestige can pay dividends: projections suggest One Battle After Another could tie the record at 14 Oscar nominations (think All About Eve, La La Land, Titanic), including Adapted Screenplay, Director, and Best Picture for Paul Thomas Anderson—his most commercially potent film yet.

Source: MovieWeb