Powered by the combined star-wattage of Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal — all three have experienced the highs and lows of franchise cinema — the romantic comedy Materialists exceeded expectations in its box office debut. The movie hails from writer-director Celine Song, who rose to prominence following her directorial debut, Past Lives. Released only a couple of years ago, the movie made over $40 million worldwide and earned a Best Picture nod at the Oscars. Song herself was honored with a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the Academy Awards. Anticipation for her sophomore feature was sky-high.
And Materialists lived up to these expectations with a $12 million haul, delivering the third-biggest domestic box office debut in indie powerhouse A24’s history, behind only Civil War and Hereditary. The movie made another $3.5 million in overseas markets, for a cumulative global haul of $15.5 million. This already puts it ahead of past A24 movies such as Minari, X, and Friendship. Romantic comedies are experiencing something of a resurgence, with movies such as Ticket to Paradise and Anyone But You delivering massive numbers at the box office.
Materialists made twice as much in its domestic debut as Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell’s breakout 2023 hit, which legged it past the $85 million mark domestically after debuting with just $6 million. Anyone But You grossed over $230 million worldwide, a number that is basically out of reach for Materialists, despite this initial interest. Only two A24 movies in history have managed to pass the $100 million mark — Civil War and the Best Picture-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once. But the distributor is leveling up this year, with major titles such as the Dwayne Johnson-led The Smashing Machine and Timothée Chalamet’s $70 million Marty Supreme lined up.
Audience Reviews for ‘Materialists’ Were Mixed
Produced on a reported budget of $20 million, Materialists debuted to excellent reviews. It holds a “certified fresh” 87% Rotten Tomatoes score, with Collider’s Ross Bonaime calling Song “the most impressive writer and director of modern love stories working today” in his review. However, the audience’s response to the movie has been a little lukewarm. Materialists earned an underwhelming B- CinemaScore from the opening-day crowds, and is currently sitting at an unimpressive 69% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It remains to be seen how deeply these metrics will impact its run. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
June 25, 2025
Director
Celine Song
Writers
Celine Song
Producers
Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler
