[Source: AP]

“One Battle After Another,” Paul Thomas Anderson’s widely acclaimed American epic of rebellion and resistance, opened with $22.4 million in ticket sales from North American theaters over the weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Anderson’s ultracontemporary opus signifies a major gamble by Warner Bros. With “One Battle After Another,” the studio is making a $130 million-plus bet that audiences would come out for 170-minute-long powerhouse drama from one of cinema’s most celebrated auteurs the way they usually only turn up for a franchise or superhero movie.

Anderson, many critics said, delivered the movie of year. “One Battle After Another,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor and Sean Penn, has been hailed as a film brimming with many of the political conflicts of today. Oscar prognosticators have pegged it this year’s best-picture front-runner.

Aided by DiCaprio’s drawing power, the film added $26.1 million overseas.

But good reviews, star power and a marquee filmmaker are nowadays often insufficient to make a hit. For a movie that cost at least $130 million to make, plus many millions more to market, “One Battle After Another” will have a long road to reach profitability. For most releases with such a high budget, a $22.4 million start would be a disappointment.

Executives for Warner Bros. declined to be interviewed about the opening.

Yet “One Battle After Another,” like movies from earlier movie eras, will hope its time in theaters is more about the long run than opening weekend. Warners is hoping word-of-mouth, awards conversation and a rolling awareness that “One Battle After Another” is a major movie event, will keep ticket sales strong in the weeks, or even months, to come.

Some signs suggest that’s possible. Audiences gave “One Battle After Another” an “A” CinemaScore. That’s far better than CinemaScores for previous Anderson wide releases, including 1997’s “Boogie Nights” (“C”), 1999’s “Magnolia” (“C-”) and 2002’s “Punch-Drunk Love” (“D+).

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