Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is turning into one of the biggest financial flops of 2025.
Despite glowing reviews from critics calling it a “generational masterpiece,” the politically charged drama is on track to lose more than $100 million for Warner Bros., per Variety.
Weak Opening Weekend
The movie stumbled out of the gate with just $22 million in its opening weekend. That’s an alarming number for a film with a reported $170 million budget.
By our calculations, One Battle After Another needed at least $425 million worldwide to break even (industry standard is 2x its budget), but so far, it’s only managed:
- Domestic: $55,748,942
- International: $85,200,000
- Worldwide: $140,948,942
Ticket sales are typically split 50-50 between studios and theaters (even less so internationally, with theaters receiving a greater share), so the studio’s actual take-home amount is likely less than $70 million. That puts Warner Bros. deep in the red.
Adding to the studio’s woes, Variety reports that Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly negotiated a first-dollar gross deal, meaning he earns a cut of ticket sales before the studio recoups any costs. It’s a luxury deal that only makes sense when a movie hits big. Here, it’s just salt in the wound.
Critics Called It “Antifa Cinema”
Beyond the financials, the movie’s political tone likely alienated audiences. Multiple outlets described One Battle After Another as sympathetic to Antifa-style radicals:
“The rebels in Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie resemble the Weather Underground less than the right’s conspiratorial image of ‘antifa supersoldiers.’” — The New Republic
“The film … casts an Antifa-style group as its heroes, demonizing law enforcement at every conceivable turn.” — Hollywood in Toto
Even left-leaning reviewers called the film “provocative” and “uncomfortable,” while others labeled it outright propaganda. The story follows DiCaprio as a bomb-maker in a militant resistance group fighting a fascist U.S. government.
