Warner Bros. had a lot riding on its films this year, including potential franchise starters like *A Minecraft Movie* and *Superman*, as well as original movies from exciting filmmakers. The year started poorly with disappointing box office results for *Mickey 17* and *The Alto Knights*. However, things quickly turned around. Beginning with *A Minecraft Movie* in early April, seven Warner Bros. films in a row opened to over $40 million domestically – a new record! Everyone was watching to see if the highly-praised *One Battle After Another*, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, would keep that success going, but it didn’t. The studio is now expected to lose a significant amount of money on that film.
According to *Variety*, the new film *One Battle After Another* is expected to lose $100 million. Its high production cost of $130 million, combined with a $70 million marketing campaign, means it needs to earn $300 million just to break even. Warner Bros. will also have to share ticket sales with theaters, and star Leonardo DiCaprio likely receives a percentage of the revenue upfront. Warner Bros. has responded to the *Variety* report with a statement.
Warner Bros. disputes claims made in a recent *Variety* article, stating that the reported information and financial estimates are inaccurate. The studio confirms its films, including *One Battle After Another*, have collectively earned over $4 billion at the box office in 2025. *Variety* clarifies that this $4 billion figure represents box office revenue, not overall profit.
One Battle After Another Box Office Explained
Before the release of *One Battle After Another*, Warner Bros. films in 2025 had consistently performed very well in theaters, exceeding expectations. Movies like *Sinners* and *Weapons* received positive reviews and had strong opening weekends. *A Minecraft Movie* was a huge success, breaking records and currently remains the highest-grossing domestic film of the year. However, this winning streak ended with *One Battle After Another*, which earned $22 million domestically during its opening weekend. While this is Anderson’s best result to date, it’s a relatively low number compared to the success of WB’s other films this year, as *One Battle After Another* simply met pre-release predictions.
Just like the original *Superman* film didn’t rely solely on ticket sales to be successful, it’s important to remember that box office revenue isn’t the only way a movie makes money. While the R-rated drama *One Battle After Another* won’t sell as much merchandise as family films like *Superman* or *A Minecraft Movie*, Warner Bros. still has other options. The film quickly became an Oscar contender, and Warner Bros. is planning a major awards campaign. Receiving nominations in significant categories like Best Picture and Best Actor will help boost its popularity and sales for home viewing. Warner Bros. plans to keep *One Battle After Another* in theaters for as long as possible, but as the awards season progresses, audiences will likely also be interested in renting it through platforms like PVOD.
Even industry publication *Variety* acknowledges that *One Battle After Another* could bring benefits to the studio beyond just ticket sales. While no studio wants to lose a significant amount of money on a film, *One Battle After Another* is different. Losses of $100 million on blockbusters like *Superman* or *A Minecraft Movie* would be devastating, but Warner Bros. is willing to absorb any financial shortfall for this film if it performs well during awards season. Winning Best Picture, or other major awards, brings a lot of prestige to a studio. Furthermore, Warner Bros. has already had a successful year at the box office, so the success of *One Battle After Another* wasn’t critical to their overall financial performance in 2025.
As a total film buff, I’ve been hearing everyone rave about *One Battle After Another* – seriously, some are calling it one of the best of the decade! I think it has the potential to be a classic, something people will still be watching and talking about for years to come. That’s great news for Warner Bros., because it means they could keep profiting from it through things like Blu-rays, special edition releases, and, of course, streaming. It would’ve been amazing if it had been a massive box office smash, but even without that, I think the studio still has a real winner on their hands.
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2025-10-16 18:40