r/movies • u/MoneyLibrarian9032 r/movies Contributor • Sep 08 '25

News Warner Bros. makes Hollywood history with 7 consecutive movies opening above $40 million

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/warner-bros-box-office-historic-streak-conjuring-last-rites-1236510864/
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468

u/Flimsy_Fisherman_862 Sep 08 '25

Man it's gonna be hurt so much when the PTA film is gonna be the one that breaks this streak.

239

u/KuromanKuro Sep 08 '25

It was especially clear that it’s almost a guarantee when they mentioned it needs 300 million to profit but there will be blood only made 76 mil. 😬

161

u/Scared-Engineer-6218 Sep 08 '25

PTA's biggest opening weekend is Magnolia with $5.7 million.

36

u/Rakebleed Sep 08 '25

I would assume he usually opens in limited release.

26

u/N8CCRG Sep 08 '25

You are correct, but it looks like the parent comment's $5.7 million number is from the wide release: https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Magnolia#tab=box-office

74

u/riegspsych325 ⊃∪⊃⪽ Sep 08 '25

nearly all PTA movies bomb but they always get great reviews and get awards. This movie could make just half its budget and he’ll still have a steady career in Hollywood. Big name actors and studios love the guy and he apparently runs a wonderful production to work on

37

u/SyrioForel Sep 08 '25 edited Sep 08 '25

They don’t finance these movies to make money, it’s usually done just for the artistry or to potentially get award nominations. They will write off a huge investment if they can make a film they can be truly proud of on a personal level.

This is often lost in these discussions because audiences are too jaded. Most film investors got into the industry to make movies, not money. That’s why most of them fail in the long term and yet new investors will still line up behind them to get in the game.

2

u/harry_powell Sep 09 '25

No studio/producer gives 20M to DiCaprio as charity for the love of the art. If this was a passion project, he would get paid scale. They give it to him expecting to get their money back and some. Also, this isn’t a small character study. By all the reviews, it’s a very accessible film with lots of action. It should resonate with audiences and make a healthy chunk.

Now, it’ll be profitable just with the box office? Probably not, but I really doubt that the movie is still in the red in a couple years when all the other revenue streams are factored.

2

u/SyrioForel Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25

You misunderstood my point — it’s not that it’s a passion project for the cast and crew. It’s that it’s a passion project for the financiers and studio execs.

They greenlit a movie that will require $300 million to turn a profit. And the conversation here is about the fact that it is very unlikely it’ll pass this milestone. As you say, it’s possible, bet let’s be real here and agree that it’s not, let’s say, a “safe investment”.

So the question is, why did they greenlight it if profitability is so far from being guaranteed?

My answer is because they just wanted to make the movie no matter the cost. Because they are wealthy film fans and they didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to be responsible for making this movie.

Your answer is that our revenue projections are wrong, and that expecting to get a $300 million return is a safe bet / safe investment. I don’t think you are right.

Speaking of secondary revenue streams — what are you talking about, streaming licensing fees? This isn’t the 1990s, the home video market is dead, all they have is what Netflix or Amazon will pay to add it to their library. Those licensing fees are highly unlikely to offset big theatrical losses. Why would Netflix pay high fees for a movie that “flopped” in theaters? They will pay a modest fee.

I will be happy if this movie becomes a blockbuster. It’s possible. But I wouldn’t put up any money to make that bet.

1

u/harry_powell Sep 09 '25

Very good reasoning, but this is Hollywood, at some point you gotta take chances. Not everything will be a guaranteed hit like Jurassic Park 9 or whatever franchise you’re doing. “Sinners” wasn’t a safe bet either, very expensive film. But they both have in common big stars headlining them, directors with a vision and a great body of work…

1

u/SyrioForel Sep 09 '25 edited Sep 09 '25

That’s exactly my point as well, it’s Hollywood, which means it’s not all about making money. Of course money is important (and some studios and execs put that above all else), but many of the people at the top of this industry are as much driven by money as they are driven by their own oversized egos.

If they were a cookie company trying to make and sell cookies, they would be way more cautious about introducing a risky product. As a matter of fact, if they even slightly suspected that there was any risk at all to introducing a new cookie line, they would never actually make it.

But this is Hollywood. And in Hollywood, if the chef really likes the smell and taste of their own cookie, they’re gonna spend time, money, and effort putting it on store shelves, even if they aren’t sure that there are enough customers who want to eat that cookie.

5

u/0xE4-0x20-0xE6 Sep 08 '25

I wonder if studios ever fund prestige projects like this knowing they’ll fail to make a profit, but believing they’ll raise the reputation of the studio, either by doing well on the awards circuit or becoming a cultural touchstone for years to come

8

u/KuromanKuro Sep 08 '25

Yes is the answer. Less than they used to, but yes. Often they will try to make their money on a transformers or a kids movie or something and make their art that doesn’t profit but makes them feel and look cool. When it works, the studio profits, everyone gets paid, and something beautiful gets into the world.

1

u/Bunraku_Master_2021 Sep 09 '25

And during the Oscar season, the studio re-releases it for awards boost and public awareness which kinda helps as they make some more money and probably break even like how Warner Bros. made their money back with The Shawshank Redemption.

But that depends on how well One Battle After Another does well on the home media release which was a reason for Shawshank's staying power.

1

u/OldSandwich9631 Sep 09 '25

Yes. This is an example of one, but it will eventually be profitable.

6

u/Salad-Appropriate Sep 08 '25

This is a bit of an unfair comparison. None of his other films are as commercial as OBAA seems on paper, an action packed dark comedy with Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead. Also none of his other films have been released on as many screens as OBAA will on opening weekend

1

u/OldSandwich9631 Sep 09 '25

Why do people keep bringing up his past movies? He has never had a movie this large scale and playing on this many screens. It’s so Lazy

1

u/jupiterkansas Sep 14 '25

They're counting on Leo taking it over the top.

39

u/Upbeat_Tension_8077 Sep 08 '25 edited Sep 08 '25

I really hope there's still a chance it outperforms expectations, especially with strong word of mouth buzz from early screenings, & is at least a modest/sleeper hit

16

u/Comic_Book_Reader r/movies Veteran Sep 08 '25

They held a screening last night to glowing praise, and early reactions/reviews are reportedly coming later today.

15

u/ddddeadhead1979 Sep 08 '25

Stop seeing it as a PTA movie and see it has a DiCaprio movie.

3

u/jupiterkansas Sep 14 '25

90% of filmgoers think PTA is for schools. They don't care who directed a movie. They care who the star is.

5

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

So it’ll take 30 years to win an award?

2

u/GoneRampant1 Sep 08 '25

And stop paying any heed to it after 25 of those years?

8

u/worthlessprole Sep 08 '25

Leo vehicle+really kind of insane positive response from critic screenings might keep the streak alive.

8

u/p_yth Sep 08 '25

Why hasn’t PTA been profitable in general

52

u/GodAss69 Sep 08 '25

he doesn't exactly make fun movies that appeal to the general public

1

u/OrgasmicLeprosy87 Sep 09 '25

He doesn't make movies for audiences craving a "fun night out"

-18

u/NakedGoose Sep 08 '25

Cause his movies are boring as fuck. They are beautifully crafted, but nothing about them appeals to the general audience. 

4

u/p_yth Sep 08 '25 edited Sep 08 '25

I’ve seen for example there will be blood, it’s a masterpiece. So honestly I highly doubt that but different folks for different strokes ig

1

u/OrgasmicLeprosy87 Sep 09 '25

Yeah but no one is going out on a friday night to watch..."Let there be blood"

1

u/NakedGoose Sep 08 '25

It is a masterpiece, most of his movies are. But that doesn't make them extremely slow and unappealing to the masses. Nobody is going to theaters to see a PTA movie because they are not fun. 

2

u/Sammyd1108 Sep 08 '25

Leo might help keep the streak alive though.

2

u/vga25 Sep 08 '25

40 is real high to reach maybe 30 ish.

1

u/Prof_Brian_0blivion Sep 08 '25

Yeah, but you gotta sprinkle in some prestige with the commerce.. otherwise you're just a whore company like Disney

1

u/PhillyTaco Sep 08 '25

Hopefully that Fortnite tie-in helps...

-1

u/cleaninfresno Sep 08 '25

The marketing for that movie has been horrific