The 2025 independent film "Materialists" has for the first time grossed over $100 million worldwide.
Kyiv • UNN
Celine Song's romantic comedy "Materialists" became the first independent film of 2025 to surpass $100 million at the global box office. The film grossed $101.3 million as of September 19, against a budget of $20 million.
Celine Song's romantic comedy "Materialists" has crossed a significant milestone at the global box office, grossing over $100 million. It is the first independent film in 2025 to achieve this figure. This was reported by Variety, writes UNN.
Details
As of September 19, the comedy has already grossed $36.5 million in the United States and another $64.8 million internationally, totaling $101.3 million. The film was produced by A24 with a budget of $20 million in collaboration with Killer Films, and Sony handled international distribution.
The main roles were played by actors Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal, and Chris Evans. The plot tells the story of a New York matchmaker who finds herself in a love triangle between a wealthy client and her ex-boyfriend.
In its opening weekend in mid-June, the film managed to gross $12 million. This was A24's third-largest domestic debut after "Civil War" ($25.5 million) and "Temurun" ($13.5 million).
Part of the success is due to the film being positioned not as an arthouse film, but as a classic romantic comedy with a star-studded cast. The summer release also proved to be a successful decision – against big blockbusters like "Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning" or "How to Train Your Dragon."
Online discussions also played an important role. Viewers actively discussed on social media the real cost of living in New York and the ethics of "transactional dating." This helped maintain interest in the film both domestically and abroad.
For director Celine Song herself, this result is a new level. Her debut work "Past Lives" (2023) grossed $42 million worldwide and received two Oscar nominations. Now the director is preparing the script for a sequel to the cult 1997 romantic comedy "My Best Friend's Wedding" starring Julia Roberts.