Leonardo DiCaprio's woke 'pro-Antifa' blockbuster is struggling at the box office amid conservative backlash

The Daily Mail ^ | 09 Oct 2025 | JACQUES PETERSON

[MinorityRepublican]

Leonardo DiCaprio's One Battle After Another has sparked backlash from conservative audiences despite being the most critically acclaimed film of the year.

The sprawling 162-minute thriller, directed by 11-time Oscar nominee Paul Thomas Anderson, has wowed mainstream critics and won praise from the likes of Steven Spielberg and Taylor Swift.

But despite the film's many accolades, One Battle After Another has struggled to recoup its rumored $175 million budget at the box office so far.

The movie's progressive plot has also been blasted as 'woke' by conservative viewers, who accuse it of being 'pro-Antifa' for having a group of left-wing radical terrorists as the protagonists.

One Battle After Another is a politically charged action-thriller based loosely on Thomas Pynchon's 1990 novel Vineland.

The film sees DiCaprio playing Bob Ferguson, a former member of a far-left revolutionary group who now lives in a state of stoned paranoia off the grid with his daughter Willa, played by Chase Infiniti.

When Willa goes missing, Ferguson must reunite with his former comrades, which includes his estranged girlfriend Perfidia, played by Teyana Taylor, to take on an evil cabal of white supremacists.

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TOPICS: TV/Movies
KEYWORDS: antifa; antifapropaganda; brainwashing; dicaprio; hollyweird; hollywood; leonardodicaprio; mayarudolph; movies; paulthomasanderson; thomaspynchon; vineland

[Bullish]

Hollyweird declared it the best movie of the year. Hollywood needs to become irrelevant.

Only because it had two cowboys butt humping in a pup tent. They LOVED that. It tells you all you need to know about the sickness that resides in Hollywood.

[waterhill]

You’re gonna have to serve something. Don’t let it choose you.

[KarlInOhio]

Too bad they have their head in their ass.

Each individually, or is it like a human benzine ring?

[Disambiguator]

Wouldn’t that be more like PIT Infiniti, or more likely, PIT Altima.

[Rummyfan]

When Willa goes missing, Ferguson must reunite with his former comrades, which includes his estranged girlfriend Perfidia, played by Teyana Taylor, to take on an evil cabal of white supremacists.

How original! I would expect better from P T Anderson.....

[KarlInOhio]

I think they were sheepboys, not cowboys.

[Rummyfan]

Here's one review from IMDB:

Waste of time and money. Walked out after an hour of this mess. Over the top profanity, characters that were totally unlikable, and not much of a plot that I could see. I think the movie studios do not know how to make a good movie anymore. I really couldn't decide who the actual bad characters were in this. I didn't like any of them. Not sure why so many are giving this mess 9s and 10s. I would give it a negative 10 if I could. This is only the second movie in my life that I have walked out of and I wish I would have left sooner.

[Bikkuri]

Found some Youtubes of him.
Man, I wonder how often he has to replace his engine..
He is very good at keeping control (and, ironically, one of them posted his speed, “150 MPH”, just like I mentioned, lol).

[Tijeras_Slim]

Just search police chases on youtube. There is also a James Byrd in the ASP, who’s also good.

[KarlInOhio]

The film sees DiCaprio playing Bob Ferguson, a former member of a far-left revolutionary group who now lives in a state of stoned paranoia off the grid with his daughter Willa, played by Chase Infiniti.

When Willa goes missing, Ferguson must reunite with his former comrades, which includes his estranged girlfriend Perfidia, played by Teyana Taylor, to take on an evil cabal of white supremacists.

Change the stoner to an ex-CIA agent and the white supremacists to Albanian human traffickers and I might just watch it. Of course you would have to change the name to Taken.

But what I do have are a very particular set of skills, skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. I've learned to recognize Hollywood BS and ignore it. And there are now millions with those same skills.

[Rummyfan]

And The Critical Drinker's take:

One Battle After Another - Good, Bad AND Ugly

[Bullish]

I guess you paid a little more attention to it then I did Karl. Wink wink.

[Surrounded_too]

Chas Infinity - a Credit Card.

[Orosius]

“sprawling 162-minute thriller”

There’s the problem right there. Almost three hours to tell a story that should take at most half that running time. The director should be sentenced to life in movie jail.