Some films benefit from great reviews, while others simply don’t. Case in point: Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another.”
No major studio release this year has been reviewed more favorably—its Metacritic score sits at 96—but the heavy marketing push, including a flood of Leonardo DiCaprio interviews, isn’t landing. This eccentric film just doesn’t have the hook needed to draw mainstream audiences into theaters.
I recently reported that, despite the glowing reactions, presales for “One Battle After Another” have stagnated. If anything, projections have actually declined. The film was initially expected to open around $25M, but since the review embargo lifted, that figure has dropped. What gives?
The latest tracking (via Box Office Pro) now has PTA’s film in the $15-$20M range. Given the rumored $150M+ budget, that’s not good.
An odd thing is happening. DiCaprio, still one of the most biggest names in Hollywood, starring in a film that critics are largely embracing, with action elements to boot—yet the audience interest is incredibly muted. Where did things go off the rails? Warner Bros. has been trying every trick in the book. The Fortnite collaboration came and went with barely a ripple, and DiCaprio himself is now stepping onto the late-night circuit for the first time in nearly two decades.
However, the real problem might lie in how the film has been sold. The trailers are murky at best—you walk away without the faintest idea of what the movie’s about. It’s not so much that the studio isn’t pushing hard enough; it’s that they never found a clear way in. The film has too many characters, too many threads, and no hook that audiences can grab onto. In other words, it’s a Paul Thomas Anderson movie.
“One Battle After Another” hits theaters this Friday, and while last-minute walkups could still give it a lift, early presales suggest that outside of the die-hard cinephile crowd, general audience interest is virtually nonexistent.