This Is Summer 2025’s Surprising Sleeper Hit and No, It’s Not ‘KPop Demon Hunters’

There are many success stories within the summer 2025 box office, as Lilo & Stitch crossed the $1 billion mark, F1 became one of the biggest original films ever, and Weaponshad a remarkable weekend-to-weekend hold. However, Materialistswas one of the most exciting hits of the summer, as it exceeded expectations, proving that there was still an audience for romantic dramedies. Although mid-budget films like Materialists have struggled at the box office in the post-pandemic era, the fact that it ranks as one of the 20 biggest films of the summer with over $85 million worldwide suggests that the market is more fruitful. Given the estimated budget of $20 million, Materialists is an unqualified success that will only continue to earn profits through digital and streaming.

A24 has had a rough 2025 thus far, as films such as Eddington, The Legend of Ochi, and Opus were all box office flops; Alex Garland’s Warfare was a success that nonetheless failed to outperform his previous film, Civil War, and Danny and Michael Philippou’s new horror film, Bring Her Back, didn’t top their work on Talk To Me. Materialists is the fourth highest-grossing A24 film of all time at the global box office, ranking only behind Everything Everywhere All At Once, Civil War, and Talk To Me. While those films benefited from their genre components, Materialists proved that A24 could appeal to an audience whose needs weren’t met by other studios.

‘Materialists’ Is One of A24’s Biggest Hits Ever

While A24 has attempted to appeal to more mainstream audiences, Materialists utilized an old-fashioned release model, which may have stoked nostalgia among viewers. Materialists relied on authentic word-of-mouth from audiences, as it was the film’s ability to consistently rank in the weekly box office charts that gave it such longevity. This may be the result of its lack of competition, as the summer was light on serious films made for an adult audience. While blockbusters like Superman, The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and Jurassic World Rebirthwere in direct competition with one another, Materialists was the only option for romance fans. The film also wasn’t inhibited by pre-release discourse from a festival launch; while films like Eddington and Opus struggled to succeed after receiving mixed reviews at the Cannes and Sundance Film Festivals, respectively, Materialists became an event that audiences had to make up their own minds about. Although the film did receive some criticism for the handling of certain plot points, the controversy did not dissuade audiences from going out to the theater.

Materialists also succeeded in advancing the careers of its stars, as each was given the opportunity to earn a minor comeback. Chris Evansmay have spent many of his post-Marvel years making streaming films like Pain Hustlers and Ghosted, but Materialists offered him the chance to prove himself as a compelling dramatic performer.Dakota Johnson made a successful rebound after being lampooned for her work in Madame Web, and Pedro Pascal showed he was a draw within independent films, even if this year’s Eddington and Freaky Tales both underperformed. Materialists was a truly original project that didn’t have a built-in audience, as even last year’s It Ends With Us had a following among fans of the novel. While original horror films like Weapons and Sinnershave been popular this year, the options have been more sparse for other film genres.

‘Materialists’ Minted Celine Song as a Box Office Draw

There’s a select group of filmmakers that can draw an audience based solely on their name, and Celine Songhas proved herself worthy of joining that list. Materialists benefitted from being sold as the next film, “from the director of Past Lives,” which earned a respectable $42 million globally and two Academy Award nominations. Song has become associated with romantic, earnest films about the human experience, and her audience isn’t just limited to cinephiles that seek out any new A24 release; Materialists had an actual “watercooler effect” and earned positive comparisons to 1990s classics like You’ve Got Mail and Notting Hill. Even if some pundits believed that the more comedic trailers were misleading with regard to the film’s tone, the slightly underwhelming CinemaScore didn’t dampen the enthusiasm it was met with. Hopefully, the film’s success will not only heighten anticipation for Song’s next project, but also inspire other studios to invest in making more romantic dramedies.

Materialists is the rare hit that succeeded on its own merits; it wasn’t starting a franchise, hiding a shocking twist like Weapons, offering something nostalgic like Freakier Fridayor The Naked Gun, or marketing itself as a “must see” premium screen experience like F1. Materialists benefitted from A24’s release strategy, as skipping the outdated “limited release” strategy helped create a concentrated period of conversation about the film; it’s notably different from A24’s Sorry, Baby, which faded into obscurity after failing to expand properly. A24 has struggled when scheduling too many films towards the end of the year in order to be in consideration for awards, but Materialists showed the value in simply making a commercial crowd-pleaser, even if it also contained deeper ideas. Additionally, waiting an entire month before making Materialists available for digital purchase helped to maximize its profits, encouraging walk-ups from viewers that didn’t seek it out opening weekend. It’s worth celebrating the success of films like How to Train Your Dragonor Superman, but Materialists was a sneaky success that showed a compelling model for the industry moving forward.