Following its April 2025 premiere, Alex Garland’sWarfarefaced a somewhat disappointing box office performance, but truthfully, this was to be expected after the director’s 2024 success.Warfareis a war film based on the true experiences of Ray Mendoza, a U.S. Navy SEAL whose platoon had a grave encounterduring the Iraq War in 2006. The film includes a star-studded ensemble cast including Will Poulter, Kit Connor, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, and Michael Gandolfini. It isthe fifth feature film Garland has ever directedand the ninth he has written.
In terms ofcritical reception,Warfarecan be considered a success. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie has matching 93% critic and audience scores, with reviewers praising its skillful, pared-back depictions of violence and the horrors of war. However, when it comes to the box office, the movie didn’t fare quite as well.With a budget of $20 million, the movie has only grossed $17.8 million, preventing it from breaking even. Though there is still time forWarfareto rake in more money, the film may just have to accept its wins and its losses.
How Much Warfare Has Made At The Box Office Compared To Civil War
Warfare Will Never Catch Up To Civil War Financially
Warfare’sbox officebecomes more disappointing when compared to that of Garland’s previous movie,Civil War.Warfare’stotal box office earnings are $17.8 million, whileCivil Warearned $127 million. While it is true thatWarfarehas only been out for two weeks,Civil War’sopening weekend gross was far better thanWarfare’s.In its debut weekend,Civil Warmade $25.7 million.Warfareonly brought in $8.3 million. In this way,Warfarehas started off on a much weaker foot thanCivil War,and doesn’t seem to be picking up enough momentum to meet its predecessor.
Clearly,Warfaredoes not have the same power as Garland’s previous release, despite having a smaller budget, a fairly star-studded cast, and an interesting premise.
What this means is thatWarfarewill probably not catch up toCivil Warfinancially. Oftentimes,good reviews can help bring a movie more attention following its first weekend, but this won’t be enough forWarfare.The movie has only grossed $17 million after its second weekend, whileCivil Warhad already made $44 million at this point. Clearly,Warfaredoes not have the same power as Garland’s previous release, despite having a smaller budget, a fairly star-studded cast, and an interesting premise. There are several elements at play that led toCivil War’ssuccess andWarfare’sunderwhelming follow-up.
Civil War’s Box Office Was Bolstered By Great Marketing & Political Commentary
How Warfare Compares To Civil War’s Marketing & Premise
To get to the bottom ofCivil War’ssuccess, it is imperative to look at what made it so intriguing in the first place. The main draw was its politically relevant premise. Following a group of journalists trying to make it to Washington D.C. before rebels overtook the capital,Civil Warwas dystopic and felt frighteningly close to reality.It was framed as a horrifying peek into America’s future, which made audiences invested in seeing the movie. Additionally, A24 provided plenty of marketing through thrilling trailers so that viewers would be aware of the film long before its release.
Unfortunately,Wafaredid not have the same advantages. Although the movie is also about war and the flaws of the American government/military, it lacks the widespread relatability ofCivil War.Warfareis about soldiers and a real eventthat happened to them, whereasCivil Warfocuses more on regular people and their experiences with a crumbling government.It’s easier to get pulled in byCivil War’sfictional yet possible storythanWarfare’ssingularly true story. On top of that,Warfaredidn’t get nearly as much advertising asCivil Wardid.
The Controversy Of War Movies
Image via A24
Marketing and story definitely made a big impact onWarfaremaking less at the box office, but there are other small details that likely played a role as well. For example,Civil Warboasted highly established stars like Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemmons, and Cailee Spaeny, who had just come off of playing Priscilla Presley inPriscilla.Meanwhile,Warfare’scast is full of talented actors, but they are more like rising stars rather than well-known A-list celebrities. Plus,Warfarehad to compete with other films likeThe AmateurandSinners,which definitely affected its box office numbers.
Another issue that may have hurtWarfareis the divisiveness of war movies. Generally,war moviesfall into one of two camps: glorifying or condemning war. Movies that are the former often get criticized for glossing over the atrocities of war, and using patriotism in a gross or unfair way.Warfareis definitely a film that condemns war, but based on marketing alone, audiences may not have recognized that. In this way,fewer viewers may have gone to seeWarfarebecause they assumed it stood for a cause that they didn’t agree with.
Garland Will Make Up For This Box Office Soon Enough
It is disappointing thatWarfaredidn’t reach the same heights asCivil War,but it isn’t that big of an issue. A24 likely put less money into marketingWarfarebecause it was never intended to be the big hitCivil Warwas. In fact,Civil Warneeded to recoup its $50 million budget, whereasWarfare’s$20 million was far more doable.In the coming weeks, it will likely earn this budget back. Arguably,Warfaredid its job by garnering strong reviews and making an impact on its viewers. Far from being a box office bomb,Warfaredid just fine.
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Not to mention,Garland already has another hit lined up afterWarfare, as he is the writer behind2025’s28 Years Later.Considering the success of the original 2002 movie, and the fact that Garland is reuniting with director Danny Boyle and lead actor Cillian Murphy, there is little doubt that this movie is going to be a blockbuster. Any failings thatWarfaremight have had this spring will easily be washed away by the highly-anticipated premiere of this iconic Alex Garland film.
