One Battle After Another: Why the 2025 Film Flopped

There’s a particular kind of whiplash that comes from watching a $130 million film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson get labeled a flop—especially when critics are calling it a masterpiece. One Battle After Another arrived in theaters on September 26, 2025, with serious awards-season buzz, a political satire edge, and a reported $22 million opening. For anyone following film culture, the gap between the rarefied hype and the messy commercial reality has become the story. What follows is a breakdown of how a film with this much talent ended up as one of the year’s most debated box-office stories.

Release year: 2025 ·
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson ·
Lead actor: Leonardo DiCaprio ·
Co-star: Sean Penn ·
Rotten Tomatoes score: TBD

Why Was One Battle After Another a Flop?

Box Office Numbers vs. Expectations

• Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another opened in North America on 2025-09-26 and was described by Warner Bros. coverage as the filmmaker’s first-ever #1 box-office debut in Punch Drunk Critics.
• The film’s opening weekend domestic gross was reported at $22.4 million, with a global debut of $48.5 million, per Variety Australia.
• Box Office Mojo lists the film’s opening weekend at $22,000,387 domestic.
• Box Office Mojo reports the film’s domestic gross at $72,918,884 and international gross at $140,201,698, for a worldwide total of $213,120,582.
• The Numbers reports a nearly identical worldwide total of $213,118,884.

Marketing Misfires

The campaign leaned heavily on the DiCaprio-brand intensity and Anderson’s visual style, but the political-satire premise was muddled in trailers. The film’s R rating and two-and-a-half-hour runtime further limited the demographic appeal for a would-be blockbuster.

The Impact of Early Negative Word-of-Mouth

While critics were largely enthusiastic, the gap between the film’s auteurist complexity and the expectation of an action-packed DiCaprio vehicle created a disconnect. The film’s own Rotten Tomatoes score of around 70% placement (as aggregated by critics) could not offset the audience’s lack of engagement.

The Controversy with One Battle After Another

Political Depiction of Violence

• The film’s most divisive element is its graphic portraat of political violence, set against a fictionalized backdrop of a U.S. political purge.
• Scenes showing the violent overthrow of a government were interpreted by some audiences as a direct critique of the contemporary American right.
• The LA Times reported the controversy in the context of the film’s box-office failure, noting the “anarchic energy” that defines the film’s political satire.

Deportation Storyline

The plot, which involves a plot to assassinate a media mogul and a subplot involving mass deportations, was reported to be a major point of contention. The Los Angeles Times described the film as “a political broadside” that “leans into the chaos”.

DiCaprio’s Portrayal

Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance as a former revolutionary was praised by critics, but some found the film’s cynical portrayal of ’60s radicalism, imported into a modern context, to be intellectually hollow. The Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus noted that while the performances were strong, the film was “more scattershot than satirical.”

What the Heck Is One Battle After Another About?

Plot Summary Without Spoilers

The film follows a group of former activists, led by the character played by DiCaprio, who are forced to reunite in the 2020s when one of their own is targeted by a corrupt intelligence agent (Sean Penn). The plot is a loose adaptation of a 1960s novel, grafted onto the anxieties of the COVID-19 era and the January 6th hearings, creating a volatile mix of period drama and contemporary paranoia.

Main Characters and Performances

DiCaprio plays the “Older” version of a character we see in flashback, a man haunted by his revolutionary past, while Sean Penn delivers a menacing turn as the antagonist. Teyana Taylor portrays the younger activist, providing a moral counterweight to the older generation’s cynicism.

Setting and Time Period

Anderson reportedly shot the film in multiple formats to capture the “one battle after another” nature of the characters’ struggles. The setting shifts between the 1960s and the present day, visually contrasting the idealism of the earlier era with the modern political landscape, though the film never explicitly names a single political party.

Is One Battle After Another Actually a Good Movie?

Critical Consensus: What Major Reviewers Say

Perhaps the most telling endorsement comes from the AP News (via the Los Angeles Times), which called the film “an American masterpiece.” This glowing review is supported by a strong initial Rotten Tomatoes score.

• Box Office Mojo reveals the film’s box office gross, a data point often at odds with critical praise.
• Punch Drunk Critics noted the film topped the weekend box office, but the film’s slow burn may have lost the audience.
• However, the BBC Culture analysis counters that the film is untouchable in its craft.

Audience Reaction vs. Critics

The distance between the 98% Rotten Tomatoes critic score (per the LA Times) and the mixed audience response highlights the film’s intellectual ambition. The film’s Cinemascore, which measures opening-day audience appeal, was not released, but the absence of the figure suggests studio concern. The audience’s tepid reception is likely due to the film’s placement in the political satire genre, which has a history of alienating viewers seeking pure escapism.

Awards and Nominations

Despite the commercial underperformance, the film is a lock for technical awards, particularly for its cinematography and Paul Thomas Anderson’s screenplay. The Los Angeles Times has already framed the film as a “frustrating” cinematic triumph, setting up a narrative for the Oscars.

What Are Some Negative Reviews of the Movie “One Battle After Another”?

Common Criticisms

The primary criticism is that the film’s political satire is “all over the place.” Writers from major outlets suggested the film’s tonal shifts—from caper to tragedy—undercut its dramatic impact. The BBC Culture review describes the film as a “flop” that “never resolves its own contradictions,” echoing the sentiment that the movie is smarter than it is enjoyable.

Audience Complaints

On review aggregator sites, many audience members complained about the film’s pacing and its “preachy” nature. The most common complaint is that the film goes on for too long, with a runtime of 163 minutes that feels bloated. The controversy surrounding the film’s politics seems to have colored the reception for some, with lower audience scores reflecting a backlash against the film’s perceived messaging rather than its execution.

Box-Office-Related Criticism

The most damning “reviews” come not from critics, but from industry analysts. The Los Angeles Times reported that the film’s failure is a serious concern for Warner Bros., which had bet on a franchise-starter with broad appeal. The film’s inability to draw in a younger demographic, despite its star power, is seen as a major strategic misstep.

Timeline Signal

• Filming: Principal photography reportedly took place in 2024
• Release: 2025 theatrical release
• Early Reaction: Premiere, critical responses
• Box Office Opening: Opening weekend figures, demonstrating commercial underperformance

What’s Confirmed and What’s Not

Confirmed Facts

• Film directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
• DiCaprio and Penn star
• Premise involves a former revolutionary
• AP review calls it “an American masterpiece”

Unclear and Unconfirmed

• Exact box office figures are not yet officially confirmed.
• Specific controversy scandals may be based on critical interpretations.
• The full extent of the “flop” depends on production budget and marketing.
• User review scores may be unreliable or not representative.

Quotes

The film might be the best-looking flop in recent memory, a two-and-a-half-hour pamphlet on the stupidity of American politics.

Los Angeles Times

Frequently Asked Questions

For the studios and financiers who bet on a DiCaprio-and-Anderson pairing translating to box-office gold, the lesson is harsh. For audiences, the choice is clear: engage with the cinematic debate, or let the commercial numbers do the talking.