Box Office Showdown: One Battle After Another Set for PT Anderson’s Biggest Opening — But Can It Top Gabby's Dollhouse?
Box office upset brewing: PT Anderson eyes his biggest opening with One Battle After Another, but Gabby's Dollhouse could claw its way to the top.
Here is where the weekend could get weird: Paul Thomas Anderson drops a $150 million, 70mm big-screen epic that critics (us included) are over the moon about... and it might get edged out by a theatrical spin-off of a preschool Netflix show. Yes, really.
The PTA factor
"One Battle After Another" is Anderson swinging big: huge budget, shot for 70mm, the whole classic-cinema shebang. Reviews are stellar, and we were high on it too. It also has Leonardo DiCaprio front and center, which still matters in 2025 because very few actors can open a movie on name alone anymore.
Will that be enough to overcome the current vibe where a chunk of the audience just wants pure escapism? Maybe. This one reportedly cuts close to the bone. Even so, prestige-wise it is basically bulletproof. Expect major awards heat. And if the kids lining up for "Gabby’s Dollhouse" this weekend grow up to call "One Battle After Another" a classic, I will not be surprised.
So... what is Gabby’s Dollhouse and why is it a threat?
If you do not have a tiny human at home, "Gabby’s Dollhouse" might sound like a fever dream. It is a standalone movie spun out of the Netflix series for preschoolers from the creators of "Blue’s Clues," and that 2–7 age bracket shows up. Also, curveball: it co-stars Kristen Wiig, and somehow this is her first live-action film since the cult favorite "Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar." The overlap with PTA diehards is basically zero, but kids nagging their parents are undefeated.
Warner Bros is on a roll... can it keep rolling?
WB has been cashing in on some risky bets lately — "Sinners," "F1," and "Weapons" all found their crowds. If that same audience wants to back another swing, "One Battle After Another" could ride the buzz and word of mouth. If my read is right, that translates to Anderson’s biggest opening weekend to date.
My weekend forecast
I am leaning optimistic on PTA’s film and a little conservative on "Gabby." Horror and anime will duke it out for third, with a long-running franchise lurking in fifth. Here is how I think it shakes out:
- One Battle After Another — $25 million (would be Anderson’s biggest opening)
- Gabby’s Dollhouse — $17 million
- The Strangers: Chapter 2 — $9 million
- Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle — $7 million
- The Conjuring: Last Rites — $6 million
If I am wrong, I will be eating crow on Monday. Until then: are you buying a ticket for tiny-cat chaos or 70mm existential warfare?