Leonardo DiCaprio's 'One Battle After Another' likely to lose $100 million at the box-office despite critical acclaim

“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 till September 29. But a report says the film is likely to lose $100 million due to its massive budget despite the blazing reviews.

What went wrong?

“It was slow as hell,” O’Meara says. “I thought the movies were good. There was a lot of hype with them that just didn’t happen,” as per a report by Variety.

“These prestige-type movies have failed to create a sense of FOMO among audiences,” says Fandango’s box office analyst Shawn Robbins. “They weren’t event-ized enough.”

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.

The long road to profit

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.

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.