Takes

Warner Bros.‘ “One Battle After Another” took $8.8 million across Friday and previews from 3,634 locations in North America. That haul includes grosses from advance fan-first screenings on Tuesday, which played premium large-format auditoriums.

The studio didn’t pinch on pennies for Paul Thomas Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio‘s hyper-contemporary action epic, spending more than $130 million before a global marketing campaign. To the director’s credit, Anderson delivered the goods. “One Battle After Another” already has the stature of a modern classic among critics, instantly positioning itself as an awards season heavyweight. On top of that, it’s playing like a crowdpleaser, with moviegoer survey firm Cinema Score polling a superb “A” grade. Compare that the “C” grade that Anderson’s now beloved “Boogie Nights” was dealt in 1997. It’s also DiCaprio’s highest score from the service since “Titanic” landed an “A+” in that same year.

All that prestige hype matches the film’s uniquely ornate theatrical rollout, which includes Imax and other premium large-formats. There are also showings on 70mm, Imax 70mm and even four venues projecting in the long-dormant format VistaVision, which Anderson shot the film on. Each of those options comes with luxury ticket prices, boosting grosses.

For now, “One Battle” is on pace to land within pre-weekend tracking for an opening between $20 million and $25 million. Best case is glowing reviews and great buzz buoy the film’s relevance among moviegoers for one week after another. But with a light debut, “One Battle” has to string together a word-of-mouth phenomenon, plus a significant overseas draw, to turn a profit in theaters.

At least it won’t take much for the film to finish as the biggest theatrical release ever for Anderson, who showed awareness with a crack about being “box-office challenged” in an August interview at Esquire. The writer-director’s top hit ever is his 2007 critical darling “There Will Be Blood,” which finished with $40 million domestic and $76 million worldwide. For Warner Bros., the studio is coming off seven consecutive films opening above $40 million domestic — a historic first in Hollywood. “One Battle” comes as a box office heat check, with significant costs.

In a true contrast of counter-programming, Universal is opening the G-rated “Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie” in 3,500 locations, eyeing a second place debut after earning $4.3 million across Friday and previews. Projections are now at a $13.6 million opening, landing between pre-weekend tracking for $12 million to $15 million. The DreamWorks Animation production is looking for a theatrical hit in adapting the popular animated pre-K Netflix series “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” which has wracked up 11 seasons since debuting in 2021. The big-screen version, which blends live-action and animation elements, cost $32 million to produce. It’ll want to stick around in theaters, though it’s playing great for its audience, with an “A+” grade from Cinema Score.

Also opening this weekend, Lionsgate is bowing “The Strangers: Chapter II,” the middle entry in what is supposed to be a contained, Renny Harlin-directed trilogy for the horror property. The home invasion continuation earned $2.4 million across Friday and previews from 2,690 locations, with projections for the three-day opening now around $5.6 million. That’d be less than half of the $11.8 million debut that “The Strangers: Chapter I” earned back in May 2024.

The first installment wasn’t a hit with critics and reviews are just as bad for the follow-up, even after a producer told ScreenRant that the sequel did significant “enhancement” reshoots after the release of “Chapter I.” Audiences aren’t impressed either, with Cinema Score turning in a rough “C-” grade. Still, the film cost a light $8.5 million to produce. Lionsgate has plans to release “Chapter III” sometime down the line.

After topping domestic charts for two weekends, Sony and Crunchyroll’s “Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle” is sliding to third place after earning another $1.8 million on Friday. It’s looking at a $6.8 million third weekend, down 61%. These grosses are largely a cherry on top for “Infinity Castle” after its historic fan-driven opening weekend. The epic-length film is looking to hit a $117.8 million domestic total through Sunday, currently ranking as the 15th-highest grossing North American release of 2025 — a stature that seemed unthinkable for an anime film for decades.

Warner Bros. is also vying for bronze, with “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” which cast out another $2 million on Friday, down 46% from its daily total a week ago. The New Line horror sequel looks to hit $161 million through its fourth weekend of release — a terrific result against its $55 million price tag. While “Last Rites” marketed itself as the final chapter for paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, it’s difficult to imagine the property is finished after delivering its biggest theatrical hit ever.

Also of note, Universal’s football horror film “Him” is losing a lot of ground in its sophomore outing, plummeting hard with a projected 71% drop after bad reviews. It looks to hit a $20.9 million domestic total through its second weekend — a less than desirable result against a $27 million production budget. Sony’s “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” is fading fast too, eyeing a $1.2 million sophomore outing after cratering in its opening. The projected 10-day domestic haul is $5.9 million for the $45 million project.