One Battle After Another

Production Budget Analysis

What was the production budget for One Battle After Another?

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti leading the cast, One Battle After Another was produced by Warner Bros. Pictures with a confirmed budget of $175,000,000, placing it in the big-budget category for thriller films.

A budget of $175,000,000 represents a significant studio commitment. Including estimated P&A of $50–100 million, the total investment likely approached $297,500,000–$350,000,000, requiring approximately $437,500,000 in worldwide grosses to break even.

Budget Comparison — Similar Productions

• 47 Ronin (2013): Budget $175,000,000 | Gross $151,783,839 → ROI: -13% • Cars 3 (2017): Budget $175,000,000 | Gross $383,925,276 → ROI: 119% • Coco (2017): Budget $175,000,000 | Gross $814,641,172 → ROI: 366% • Dolittle (2020): Budget $175,000,000 | Gross $251,410,631 → ROI: 44% • Evan Almighty (2007): Budget $175,000,000 | Gross $174,440,724 → ROI: -0%

Key Budget Allocation Categories

▸ Talent & Director Compensation Thrillers depend on compelling lead performances to sustain tension, making cast compensation a primary budget concern. Directors with proven thriller credentials command premium fees.

▸ Cinematography & Location Photography Thriller aesthetics demand specific visual languages — surveillance-style photography, claustrophobic framing, or expansive location work across multiple cities or countries.

▸ Editorial & Sound Post-Production Precision editing — controlling information flow, building suspense through pacing, and orchestrating reveals — requires extended post-production schedules.

Key Production Personnel

CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Chase Infiniti, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall Key roles: Leonardo DiCaprio as Bob; Sean Penn as Col. Steven J. Lockjaw; Chase Infiniti as Willa; Benicio del Toro as Sensei Sergio St. Carlos

DIRECTOR: Paul Thomas Anderson CINEMATOGRAPHY: Michael Bauman MUSIC: Jonny Greenwood EDITING: Andy Jurgensen PRODUCTION: Warner Bros. Pictures, Ghoulardi Film Company, Domain Entertainment FILMED IN: United States of America

Box Office Performance

One Battle After Another earned $72,172,051 domestically and $137,205,049 internationally, for a worldwide total of $209,377,100. International markets drove the majority of revenue (66%), indicating strong global appeal.

Break-Even Analysis

Using the industry-standard 2.5x multiplier (P&A + exhibitor shares of 40–50% + distribution fees), One Battle After Another needed approximately $437,500,000 to break even. The film fell $228,122,900 short in theatrical revenue. Ancillary streams (home media, streaming, TV) may have bridged the gap.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Revenue: $209,377,100 Budget: $175,000,000 Net: $34,377,100 ROI: 19.6%

Profitability Assessment

VERDICT: Modestly Profitable

One Battle After Another earned $209,377,100 against a $175,000,000 budget (20% ROI). Full profitability was likely achieved through ancillary revenue streams.

INDUSTRY IMPACT

PRODUCTION NOTES

▸ Casting

In June 2023, Anderson's next film, rumored to star Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Viggo Mortensen and Joaquin Phoenix, found its home at Warner Bros. Pictures. In January 2024, DiCaprio and Hall were confirmed to star, with Sean Penn joining the cast. DiCaprio reportedly received his standard $25 million fee for his involvement. In February, Alana Haim, Wood Harris, Chase Infiniti, Shayna McHayle, and Teyana Taylor joined the cast. The casting of Benicio del Toro was confirmed in June. Jacob Batalon revealed that he auditioned for the role of Comrade Josh.

To land the role of Willa Ferguson, the teenage daughter of the film's central character, Infiniti went through a six-month audition process involving multiple callbacks and camera tests as well as chemistry reads with DiCaprio and Hall. The reads were designed to gauge the rapport between the then-newcomer and her potential castmates, but, said Infiniti, "They felt like the coolest kind of masterclass. I remember leaving the room thinking, 'I would love this part, but even if I don't get it, I'll take that with me forever. Infiniti had also been a kickboxing trainer, but she still spent months training in both karate and mixed martial arts that tested her readiness to do her own stunts and handle some intense scenes with Penn. "With Willia , it was anybody who's right", casting director Cassandra Kulukundis said of the broad criteria Anderson gave her, adding, "Doesn't matter if they've ever acted before, if they're a star, if I found them in school, if I find them on the street. That was a huge netif you were between 12 and 25, I was looking at you." Kulukundis was able to narrow the search when she realized how important the physical demands of the part were to the performance. "The moment I saw [Infiniti] dancing, I don't know how to describe it. She's the most unique looking human being I've ever seen." For Kulukundis, Infiniti's ability to hold her own against DiCaprio was also vital.

▸ Filming & Locations

Principal photography began in California in January 2024. The film (under the working title BC Project) To make observations about music and fashion trends, Anderson and his crew attended the prom at Eureka High School; students were cast as extras for a key scene.

On February 3, production moved to Sacramento, with filming at the Sacramento County Administration Building and Sacramento County Courthouse. A homeless encampment was cleared to allow for filming, sparking controversy. The former Sacramento mansion of Governor Ronald Reagan was used for exterior shots for the Christmas Adventurers Club's headquarters, tying the film back into the original novel, with Pynchon's focus on Reagan. "I had 10 days to unpack and pack", del Toro said of the 2024 shoot, adding, "Unpack my character in Wes' movie and then get dressed like Sensei and just go. You don't have time to adjust. If you want to jump on a carousel, you generally want time to run and catch up and then jump in. There was none of that." Other filming locations included La Purísima Mission, and the city of San Diego and Otay Mesa near the Mexico–United States border.

[Filming] Principal photography began in California in January 2024. The film (under the working title BC Project) To make observations about music and fashion trends, Anderson and his crew attended the prom at Eureka High School; students were cast as extras for a key scene.

On February 3, production moved to Sacramento, with filming at the Sacramento County Administration Building and Sacramento County Courthouse. A homeless encampment was cleared to allow for filming, sparking controversy. The former Sacramento mansion of Governor Ronald Reagan was used for exterior shots for the Christmas Adventurers Club's headquarters, tying the film back into the original novel, with Pynchon's focus on Reagan.

▸ Post-Production

Editing was completed by Andy Jurgensen, who had previously edited Licorice Pizza. As a frequent collaborator of Anderson's, Jurgensen knew how to best be "fluid" in his work on the film to match his director's sensibilities. Discussing the final car chase sequence, Jurgensen said, "It was shot over a number of days and there really weren't storyboards for it, [Anderson] just had ideas for the beginning, middle, and end. It was really a matter of shooting the cars from the different perspectives [...] We just had to make sure we had all the pieces. I did a string out of all the different perspectives as we were shooting the scenes so that we made sure that we had good moments from all the angles, then it was finding the best bits and starting to assemble. It was just a long sequence going through all of Willa's shots of her eyes, looking at both the rear-view mirror and the side view mirror looking behind at the reflections. You're just slowly kind of whittling down the best fits." Jurgensen further explained that "it evolved to be what the final [edit] was" and that he was "still adding elements in the final mix", adding, "We went through many edits, but in the test screenings, it was always people's favorite part."

Additionally, Jurgensen was on location and got to view dailies with Anderson on a vintage VistaVision horizontal projector, which they borrowed from Warner Bros. "I was the only one traveling from editorial, and then I could supervise setting up the screening room and be there for all the screenings, which was really helpful", said Jurgensen. "And then while they were shooting, I also brought my computer system, getting digital dailies and making more notes, assembling stuff. You're with the crew and it's just so much better. You understand what everyone's going through and you're part of the process. But that's Paul's style."

In February 2024, Variety reported that the film had been greenlit with a $115 million production budget.

▸ Music & Score

The score was composed by Greenwood, and recorded with the London Contemporary Orchestra and conductor Hugh Brunt. It was released by Nonesuch Records on September 26, 2025. The film also features two songs by Jon Brion, marking Anderson and Brion's first collaboration since Punch-Drunk Love (2002).

▸ Marketing & Release

The marketing campaign for One Battle After Another cost $70 million. The second trailer for the film was released online on July 24, 2025. That same day, a video announcement, via the One Battle After Another Instagram account, announced the film was coming to Fortnite Creative on September 12. Additionally, posts on Twitter that applied meme templates to out-of-context clips from the film were released.

Multiple film critics and news outlets found the marketing to be "confusing" and "unusual". Dana Nussbaum, Warner Bros. Pictures co-head of global motion picture marketing, defended this approach to promoting the film, saying, "Every campaign must be bespoke and you have to quickly shift based on what the audience is telling you", adding, "The audience moves really fast and you have to be moving at the same pace."

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Summary: Nominated for 13 Oscars. 234 wins & 478 nominations total

Awards Won: ★ Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture ★ Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay ★ Golden Globe Award for Best Director ★ Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy ★ Academy Award for Best Picture — Paul Thomas Anderson (98th Academy Awards) ★ Academy Award for Best Picture — Adam Somner (98th Academy Awards) ★ Academy Award for Best Picture — Sara Murphy (98th Academy Awards) ★ Academy Award for Best Director — Paul Thomas Anderson (98th Academy Awards) ★ Academy Award for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay — Paul Thomas Anderson (98th Academy Awards) ★ Academy Award for Best Film Editing — Andy Jurgensen (98th Academy Awards) ★ Academy Award for Achievement in Casting — Cassandra Kulukundis (98th Academy Awards) ★ Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor — Sean Penn (98th Academy Awards)

Nominations: ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture ○ Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score ○ Academy Award for Best Actor (98th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (98th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (98th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Cinematography (98th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Original Score (98th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Production Design (98th Academy Awards) ○ Academy Award for Best Sound (98th Academy Awards)

Additional Recognition: At the 31st Critics' Choice Awards, One Battle After Another won three awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Anderson. It was also nominated for nine awards at the 83rd Golden Globes, receiving the most nominations of any film that year; del Toro, DiCaprio, Infiniti, Penn, and Taylor all received nominations for their performances. Ultimately, the film won four Golden Globes: Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (Taylor), and Best Screenplay. It also became the most-nominated film in the history of the Screen Actors Guild at the 32nd Actor Awards, with a record-breaking seven nominations and Penn winning Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role.

At the 79th British Academy Film Awards, the film led the nominations with fourteen overall, winning six, including Best Film and Best Director. Additionally, at the 98th Academy Awards, the film received thirteen nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and four acting nominations (for del Toro, DiCaprio, Penn, and Taylor), the second-most of any film that year. The film went on to win six Oscars: Best Picture (Somner, Murphy, and Anderson), Best Director (Anderson), Best Supporting Actor (Penn), Best Adapted Screenplay (Anderson), Best Film Editing (Jurgensen), and Best Casting (Kulukundis), becoming the inaugural recipient for the latter.

CRITICAL RECEPTION

The film received widespread acclaim, receiving reviews that were overwhelmingly positive, with multiple critics calling the film a "masterpiece". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on its A+ to F scale, while those at PostTrak rated the film four-and-a-half out of five stars, with 74% of audiences saying they would "definitely recommend" it. Justin Chang of The New Yorker called the film "a father-daughter epic, with an unusually personal gush of feeling. You can count on one hand the number of scenes that Bob and Willa share, but their connectiona swirl of protectiveness, exasperation, and fiercely unconditional lovebinds the movie and its madly whirling parts together".

Katie Walsh of the Chicago Tribune called the film a "searing indictment of this particular moment in American history" by which "Anderson balances the sprawling, conspiracy-minded aspects of this yarn with the intimate father-daughter story, which is the heart of the matter". Writing for The New York Times, Manohla Dargis called the film "a carnivalesque epic about good and evil, violence and power, inalienable rights and the fight against injustice; it's also a love story. The film speaks to the failures of the past and of the present but insists on the promise of the future". Richard Lawson of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that One Battle After Another is "a furious film, a richly engaging and persuasive polemic" in which "Anderson shows a previously unseen aptitude for action and suspense; One Battle After Another is, essentially, a thriller, albeit one teeming with enormous ideas about the collapse and possible rescue of the country".

Alex Saveliev of Film Threat opened his review by writing that the film "demands to be seen on the largest screen possible to fully absorb the 35 mm VistaVision experience with every cell of your body. Everything about it is grand: its characters, its action sequences, its timely sentiments, even the quieter moments".