One Battle After Another vs Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: How Do Leonardo DiCaprio’s Two Oscar Nominees Compare at the Box Office?
Leonardo DiCaprio has earned a Best Actor nomination at the 98th Academy Awards for One Battle After Another, making it his first Oscar nomination in that category since Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood in 2019. Both films carried major star power, acclaimed directors, and serious awards season momentum. But their box office stories are very different from each other.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood: Box Office Performance
Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 film put Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt together on screen for the first time in a major studio production. The combination of Tarantino’s direction and two of Hollywood’s biggest names drew significant audiences globally.
According to Box Office Mojo, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood earned $142.5 million at the domestic box office and $251.3 million from international markets, bringing the worldwide total to $393.8 million. The film was produced on a reported budget of $90 million.
- Domestic: $142.5 million
- International: $251.3 million
- Worldwide: $393.8 million
- Budget: $90 million
One Battle After Another: Box Office Performance
One Battle After Another arrived with strong critical reception and became one of the leading contenders at the 2026 Oscars, earning 13 nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for DiCaprio. Despite that awards momentum, the film struggled commercially relative to its production cost.
Made on an estimated budget of $130 million, One Battle After Another grossed $72.3 million in North America and $137.3 million from international markets. The worldwide total stands at approximately $209.5 million, a figure that falls well short of what was needed to turn a profit at that budget level.
- Domestic: $72.3 million
- International: $137.3 million
- Worldwide: $209.5 million
- Budget: $130 million (estimated)
Which Film Performed Better Relative to Its Budget?
The budget-to-earnings ratio tells the clearest story here. Once Upon a Time in Hollywood cost $90 million to produce and grossed $393.8 million worldwide, delivering a return of approximately 4.4 times its production budget. By any measure, that is a strong commercial result for a prestige drama that was never designed to be a blockbuster.
One Battle After Another cost $130 million and earned $209.5 million globally, a return of roughly 1.6 times its budget. When marketing and distribution costs are factored in alongside the production spend, that ratio places the film firmly in loss-making territory. It is considered a box office disappointment despite its awards success.
Critical Success vs Commercial Reality
The contrast between the two films highlights a tension that comes up repeatedly in prestige cinema. Awards recognition and commercial performance do not always move in the same direction. One Battle After Another leads the 98th Academy Awards with 13 nominations and is considered one of the strongest Best Picture frontrunners of the cycle. At the same time, it has underperformed significantly against its budget at the box office.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood managed to do both. It was a critical and awards contender while also returning strong numbers globally, a combination that is genuinely difficult to achieve in the current theatrical landscape.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is the clear winner when comparing the two films commercially. One Battle After Another may yet claim the bigger legacy through awards, but in terms of box office returns relative to investment, Tarantino’s 2019 film was the stronger performer by a considerable margin.
As the 98th Academy Awards ceremony approaches, the conversation around One Battle After Another will centre on its artistic achievements rather than its commercial ones, which may ultimately be how DiCaprio and the filmmakers intended it to be remembered.
