Warner Bros. is on an astonishing winning streak, consistently outperforming expectations in a challenging market.
Despite plunging ticket sales (down 23% from pre-pandemic figures), the unpredictable appeal of big-name stars, and even the diminishing power of superhero blockbusters, the studio has been on a remarkable run for months. They’ve delivered one hit after another, proving genre, budget, or cast are no longer definitive predictors of success.
From ‘A Minecraft Movie’ to ‘Sinners,’ ‘Final Destination: Bloodlines,’ ‘F1: The Movie,’ ‘Superman,’ ‘Weapons,’ and ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites,’ their diverse slate of successes has left industry rivals scratching their heads and box office experts scrambling for precedents.
What secret ingredient has Warner Bros. found in this challenging box office climate that has eluded the rest of Hollywood?
While the studio acknowledges its talented filmmakers and varied film offerings, a significant part of their success stems from brilliant marketing. Under the leadership of young executives Dana Nussbaum, Christian Davin, and John Stanford, who took the reins of the movie marketing department in January, Warner Bros. has pioneered a fresh strategy. This new playbook involves a dedicated 24/7 social media ‘war room’ and a significantly enhanced role for online influencers.
“Each campaign has to be custom-tailored, and you must adapt rapidly to audience feedback,” explained Ms. Nussbaum. “Today’s audience engagement moves incredibly fast, and marketers need to keep up.”
This innovative approach faces its ultimate test this weekend with the release of ‘One Battle After Another,’ an R-rated epic from the celebrated director Paul Thomas Anderson. This ambitious film, blending drama, absurdist comedy, and a thrilling chase, carries a hefty production tag of at least $130 million (some rivals estimate even more), plus an additional $70 million-plus for worldwide marketing.
This film defies all modern box office wisdom for high-budget productions. ‘One Battle After Another’ is an original story, not a franchise installment or based on pre-existing characters. Clocking in at two hours and 50 minutes, its complex plot and nuanced tone are nearly impossible to summarize in a trailer or a concise tagline. Furthermore, director Paul Thomas Anderson isn’t known for extensive publicity, and its A-list cast—Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, and Regina Hall—aren’t particularly active on social media, adding to the marketing challenge.
Adding another layer of difficulty, the film tackles sensitive political themes, with Mr. Anderson exploring issues of immigration and white supremacy. These topics could alienate a segment of the audience, particularly those with differing viewpoints.
For ‘One Battle After Another’ to be considered a box office triumph for Warner Bros., analysts project it needs to hit at least $300 million worldwide (given the typical 50/50 split between studios and theaters). This is a monumental task, considering Paul Thomas Anderson’s highest-grossing film to date, ‘There Will Be Blood’ (2007), earned $76 million globally against production and marketing costs of around $40 million.
To draw audiences, the marketing team is employing a hybrid approach, blending classic and modern advertising. Expect to see traditional TV and streaming commercials, alongside digital influencers – from popular online content creators to celebrities like Peyton Manning – enthusiastically promoting the film. They’ve even partnered with the massive online game Fortnite, allowing players to embody movie characters.
Concurrently, Warner Bros.’ marketing strategy leverages one of Hollywood’s most enduring tactics: word-of-mouth screenings. Over the last fortnight, the film has been showcased in major cities like Los Angeles, New York, Mexico City, and London, with the cast and director participating in engaging Q&A sessions to generate buzz.
“The film’s greatest strength was always going to be the conversations it sparks,” Mr. Davin stated in a recent interview. “After a screening, people are eager to discuss, theorize, and meticulously analyze every moment, particularly elements not revealed in the promotional materials.”
Warner Bros. has proudly highlighted glowing endorsements from cinematic legends like Spielberg, Iñárritu, and Scorsese, positioning the critically acclaimed film as a strong contender for the Best Picture Oscar. However, they’ve also worked diligently to prevent it from being pigeonholed as merely an ‘art film.’
Despite the buzz, early projections for the opening weekend in North America are modest. Industry tracking and advance ticket sales suggest ‘One Battle After Another’ will gross between $20 million and $25 million from Friday to Sunday.
Warner Bros.’ struggle to capture public attention underscores a broader truth: movie marketing today is more complex and demanding than ever before.
A report from Hollywood research firm National Research Group revealed that in 2024, only 62 wide releases achieved over 50 percent audience awareness—a near-historic low. Across the industry, marketers are grappling with rising costs and a decreasing ability to penetrate the public consciousness. They challenge the idea that digital advertising is inherently cheaper than traditional methods, noting that a global TikTok campaign can easily outprice a 30-second NFL commercial.
“Engaging a broad audience has never been more difficult,” observed veteran Hollywood marketing executive Terry Press. “Aside from live sports, broadcast television offers no consistent platform, and digital advertising has become an overwhelming deluge of competing noise.”
In the past, Warner Bros. was known for its ‘spray and pray’ marketing tactic, launching around 20 films annually with massive spending on TV ads, billboards, bus wraps, in-theater promotions, and opulent premieres. However, that era of simply outspending the competition into success is long over.
“Such traditional thinking is now completely obsolete,” Ms. Nussbaum affirmed.
Ms. Nussbaum focuses on strategic planning, market research, and external collaborations. Mr. Davin directs global public relations, digital campaigns, and multicultural outreach. Mr. Stanford leads all creative aspects. This trio works in close collaboration with studio chairs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy, and crucially, they empower younger executives to contribute fresh perspectives, enriching the decision-making process.
A key cornerstone of their strategy is actively engaging and responding to potential audiences.
For instance, when the initial teaser for ‘Minecraft’ (2024) failed to impress fans, the marketing team swiftly released a revised trailer. It opened with a playful ‘Take Two’ clapperboard, humorously admitting their initial misstep.
Later, in May, coinciding with the film’s release, an unauthorized clip surfaced online. It showed an audience spontaneously tossing popcorn during a particular scene. Instead of the usual Hollywood response of demanding its removal, the team deliberately allowed the video to spread, aiming for viral status. This unconventional strategy paid off handsomely, helping to drive ‘Minecraft’ to a staggering $958 million worldwide, albeit to the understandable dismay of theater cleaning staff.
For ‘Sinners,’ the studio provided influencers with specific film scenes, encouraging them to create engaging content that subsequently gained widespread online traction.
For ‘One Battle After Another,’ Warner Bros. is strategically emphasizing the central father-daughter dynamic and leveraging the film’s humor, particularly through Mr. DiCaprio’s portrayal of an aging revolutionary often seen in a bathrobe.
A recent commercial, broadcast during last week’s Monday Night Football and online, featured Peyton Manning. The former star quarterback portrayed an increasingly frustrated version of himself, engaging in a comedic mock phone call with Mr. DiCaprio’s character as he struggled to recall an old password.
Manning, renowned for his pre-play ‘Omaha’ calls, humorously offered up his own password as the solution.
“It was Omaha!” Manning exclaimed after the call. “O-ma-ha! Easy!”