Copyright slashfilm
It's been a rough stretch at the box office, particularly for movies aimed at adults. It's not that the fall season has been devoid of hits, with anime like "Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc" finding success, as well as horror fare such as "Black Phone 2." But original movies, awards season hopefuls, and movies generally made for grown-ups have suffered defeat time after time. While "One Battle After Another" will still go down as a bomb theatrically, it's also, at the same time, offering up a bit of light amidst the darkness. Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson ("There Will Be Blood") and hailing from Warner Bros., "One Battle After Another" opened to $48 million globally in late September. It arrived with some of the best reviews for any movie this year, serving as a major Oscar hopeful. The only problem? An outsized budget in the $140 million range, with some reports suggesting that figure is as high as $70 million. With $180 million globally to its name thus far, the movie is going to lose money. Period. But virtually no other non-horror, non-franchise movie this year made with adults in mind has made nearly that much money. Clearly, there is an audience for such movies under the right circumstances. Over/under $200 million worldwide, with a likely big showing during awards season, is nothing to sneeze it. Had this movie not fallen victim to Hollywood's ongoing budget problem, it would be a resounding success. The movie is loosely based on the novel "Vineland" by Thomas Pynchon. It centers on a washed-up revolutionary named Bob (Leonardo DiCarpio) who is paranoid and living off the grid with his daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti). When his nemesis (Sean Penn) resurfaces after 16 years, Willa goes missing, leaving Bob scrambling to find her.
