One Battle After Another claimed the top spot at the domestic box office in its debut weekend. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Chase Infiniti, Teyana Taylor, Regina Hall, and Sean Penn.
During its Friday opening, the film earned about $9 million, including previews. As such, it is on track for a $21 million debut weekend domestically. Notably, 52% of these ticket sales come from premium formats such as IMAX. Internationally, One Battle After Another will gross a $40 to $50 million opening haul.
A very different film from One Battle After Another, Gabby’s Dollhouse is poised to take home silver in its opening weekend. The children’s movie brought in $4.3 million during its Friday showings, and its overall weekend gross is projected at a $13.5 million opening weekend.
Still holding strong, The Conjuring: Last Rites currently sits at third. The record-breaking horror film brought in $2.1 million on Friday, and it will net $7.1 million by Sunday. This would bring its total domestic gross to $161.7 million.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle remains in the top five at the box office. The anime film pulled in $1.7 million on Friday, with projections for this weekend predicting a $6.4 million haul. The hit’s worldwide box office currently sits at $504.9 million, with a $393.9 million international gross and $111 million domestically.
Coming in fifth place, The Strangers – Chapter 2 debuted with a disappointing $2.2 million at the domestic box office, with a predicted opening of $5 to $6 million.
What This Means For One Battle After Another, Gabby’s Dollhouse, And The Strangers – Chapter 2
Touted as a top contender in the 2026 Oscars race, One Battle After Another was made on a budget of $130 to $140 million. It is generally accepted that a film needs to make two-and-a-half times its budget to be profitable. As such, One Battle After Another would need between $325 million and $350 million to break even.
The film has extremely positive word-of-mouth, with a 96% critic score and 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Between positive reception, Oscar buzz, and a projected $50 million opening, One Battle After Another’s box office so far lays a solid foundation for profitability.
On the other hand, Gabby’s Dollhouse has an interesting run ahead of it. Critics and audiences alike gave it a warm reception, and its budget is $32 million, placing its breakeven point at $80 million. Additionally, it is fairly unopposed within the children’s film genre currently, signaling that it could fare better than initially projected with a $13.5 million domestic opening if it holds over the next few weeks.
While The Strangers – Chapter 2 debuting at fifth place sounds like a box office disaster, its budget all but guarantees the film will recoup most of its costs. All three films in the ongoing horror trilogy were made for a reported $8.5 million, with a breakeven point of $21.25 million.
The Strangers – Chapter 1 made $48.2 million during its run, so the second and third entries could theoretically be released for mostly profit. However, both films were critically panned and poorly received, meaning it may not hold well after its opening.
Our Take On One Battle After Another And This Week’s Other Box Office Openings
One Battle After Another dominating the box office is hardly a surprise as a collaboration between Anderson and DiCaprio, though its hefty budget runs the risk of hindering its profitability. Undoubtedly, it will also have longer legs at the box office than Gabby’s Dollhouse or The Strangers – Chapter 2. While the 2026 Oscars race is much too far away to call, One Battle After Another is off to a strong start at the box office.