‘One Battle After Another’ Narrowly Passes One Of The Best Sci-Fi Movies Of The 21st Century At The Box Office

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Paul Thomas Anderson’s intense and thrilling new film has been widely discussed for over two months. Since its release on September 26th, it’s sparked a lot of debate and received both positive and negative reviews, making it a strong contender for next year’s Academy Awards. While it wasn’t a huge commercial success, it did earn enough to surpass the box office results of a highly acclaimed science fiction film from this century.

Most of the money earned by One Battle After Another came from overseas, with only $70.6 million coming from North America. Arrival, however, did much better in North America, bringing in $100.5 million – $30 million more than One Battle After Another. Interestingly, Arrival earned $30 million less internationally than One Battle After Another did.

‘One Battle After Another’ and ‘Arrival’ Share Surprising Similarities


Paramount Pictures

At first glance, One Battle After Another and Arrival seem completely different – one’s a sci-fi drama, the other a darkly comedic action thriller. But if you look closer, you’ll find they actually have a lot in common, particularly in the ideas they explore.

Both One Battle After Another and Arrival heavily feature fear and distrust, causing significant conflict for the characters, both within themselves and with others. In Arrival, humanity struggles with fear of the unknown, influencing decisions made by the military and Louise Banks, much like the pressures faced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s character in OBAA.

Both films explore difficult human emotions that we often try to hide, such as grief, loss, and love. While Anderson’s film uses intense events like violence and political conflict to reach these core feelings, Arrival examines them in a more subtle way, focusing on how we use language, communicate, and understand time.

Although vastly different in how they’re made, both movies explore timeless themes, demonstrating how various film genres can address similar ideas. They beautifully reflect real life, and while they may not appeal to all viewers, a comparison of One Battle After Another and Arrival reveals surprising and significant connections.

You can now watch Arrival on Paramount+ and One Battle After Another on various digital platforms.

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2025-12-05 00:32