The Best Movie of 2025 Won’t Get a Director’s Cut — And That’s Great News
Rumors of a three-hour opus are dead: Paul Thomas Anderson says One Battle After Another won’t get a director’s cut. The Leonardo DiCaprio-led crime thriller has already raked in about $204 million worldwide, marking the filmmaker’s biggest box-office hit.
If you were holding out for a massive, 3-hour director's cut of Paul Thomas Anderson's 'One Battle After Another,' you can let that go. Anderson just shot down the rumor and explained why the version in theaters is the version. And considering the movie is already flying at the box office and racking up awards attention, he seems pretty comfortable with the call.
About that rumored 3-hour cut
The whisper started with a report that early test screenings ran close to three hours. The final theatrical cut clocks in around 2 hours and 40 minutes, so yeah, roughly 20 minutes came out somewhere in the edit.
PTA explains the decision
Anderson told French outlet Kombini that the trims weren't the kind of material you build a new cut around. His point was basically: movies get tightened; that's normal; nothing essential was lost.
'There are always things that were cut, but nothing significant.'
DiCaprio is firmly on board
Leonardo DiCaprio says he saw the longer early versions and agrees the finished cut is the right one. In his view, stretching it out would have dulled the pace and the nerve-wracking momentum the movie lives on. He specifically mentions that the sense of looming danger bearing down on these characters — especially the character Willa — benefits from the leaner runtime.
Where the movie stands now
- Box office: about $204 million worldwide so far — Anderson's highest-grosser to date
- Runtime: around 2 hours and 40 minutes in theaters; no director's cut planned
- Rotten Tomatoes: Certified Fresh at 94% from 417 reviews
- Awards: nine Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Screenplay
- Creative: written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
- Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio leads, with Sean Penn, Regina Hall, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, Benicio del Toro, D.W. Moffett, Chase Infiniti, John Hoogenakker, and more
So no, there's not a secret epic version waiting to drop — because the movie you saw is the one Anderson wants you to see. Given how well it's playing, hard to argue with the approach.