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NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d<\/a> Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Anderson\u2019s ultracontemporary opus signifies a major gamble by Warner Bros. With \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d the studio is making a $130 million-plus bet that audiences would come out for 170-minute-long powerhouse drama from one of cinema\u2019s most celebrated auteurs the way they usually only turn up for a franchise or superhero movie.<\/p>\n Anderson, many critics said<\/a>, delivered the movie of year. \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d 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\u2019s best-picture front-runner. Aided by DiCaprio\u2019s drawing power, the film added $26.1 million overseas.<\/p>\n 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, \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Yet \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d 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 \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d is a major movie event, will keep ticket sales strong in the weeks, or even months, to come.<\/p>\n Some signs suggest that\u2019s possible. Audiences gave \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d an \u201cA\u201d CinemaScore. That\u2019s far better than CinemaScores for previous Anderson wide releases, including 1997\u2019s \u201cBoogie Nights\u201d (\u201cC\u201d), 1999\u2019s \u201cMagnolia\u201d (\u201cC-\u201d) and 2002\u2019s \u201cPunch-Drunk Love\u201d (\u201cD+).<\/p>\n Yet as highly regarded as Anderson is, his films have rarely made a big impact at the box office. His biggest hit was 2007\u2019s \u201cThere Will Be Blood,\u201d which collected $76.4 million worldwide.<\/p>\n For Warner Bros., \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d marked its ninth movie this year to open No. 1, more than any other studio. That success \u2014 with $4 billion in global sales \u2014 has included some refreshingly original films that haven\u2019t always made their most obvious way into theaters.<\/p>\n Warners released Ryan Coogler\u2019s \u201cSinners\u201d<\/a> in April, and it went on to gross $366.7 million worldwide. \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d chose to opt out of the usual fall festival platforms for prestige films, and first screened while most critics were in Venice or Toronto. Yet \u201cSinners\u201d and \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d will likely be favorites for many of the same prizes in the coming awards season.<\/p>\n Anderson\u2019s film, loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon\u2019s \u201cVineland,\u201d stars DiCaprio as a former revolutionary living off the grid with his teenage daughter (Chase Infiniti).<\/p>\n