Leonardo DiCaprio’s films have racked up nearly $7 billion worldwide. However, in an era dominated by streaming, YouTube, TikTok, and less movie stars, the actor is telling people to give his latest film a shot in theaters.
On the press circuit for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another,” DiCaprio tells Variety that the film’s box office remains “very important” in today’s crowded media landscape. “There’s just an inundation of content right now, which is exciting, but the communal experience of going to the theater matters,” he said.
The actor described the film as a cinematic event designed specifically for the big screen. “Paul shot this in VistaVision, using cameras that haven’t really been employed since the ‘60s. He wants audiences to feel immersed, to experience action that’s tactile, realistic, and different from the usual fare,” DiCaprio explained.
Anderson’s films are frequently celebrated by critics and cinephiles—so much so that even one of his lesser-regarded entries, “Licorice Pizza,” still scored a 90 on Metacritic, but he’s far from a box office powerhouse. His highest-grossing film remains “There Will Be Blood” ($76M).
“One Battle After Another” comes with a production budget reported anywhere between $130-$150M, making it the Anderson’s most expensive outing to date. With that kind of investment, the film’s global ticket sales carry real weight. The latest estimates suggest the opening weekend could land somewhere in the $20M range.
For DiCaprio, he hopes audiences see the film the way it was intended. “I would only hope that people go out to the theater and experience it the way it’s meant to be seen,” he said.
I don’t necessarily believe DiCaprio’s popularity is on the downswing, but his last film, “Killers of the Flower Moon,” only earned $158M worldwide on a reported $200M budget and secured ten Oscar nominations. Yes, it was a financial loss, but the film was a 3.5-hour, character-driven adult drama. What else did you expect?
In contrast, “One Battle After Another” is being marketed as an action film with big stars. I’ve already made it clear that we, the audience, are the real winners here. Handing someone like PTA a massive budget to make whatever he wants is a victory in itself. The real losers, of course, are Warner Bros. But then again—could multiple Oscar wins offset the financial hit?
Here’s hoping word of mouth gives “One Battle After Another” some legs. We need more films like this to succeed so that similar projects get greenlit in the future. So far, it’s not looking great, but one can only hope surprising numbers await us this coming weekend.