Alex Garland’s Gritty Iraq War Epic slays at box office (Photo Credit – Instagram)
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Alex Garland shook things up last year when he catapulted indie darling A24 into blockbuster territory. Civil War, his chilling dystopian ride, thundered past the $100 million mark globally, with nearly $70 million of that coming from American audiences alone.
It was the most ambitious and expensive production A24 had ever gambled on, clocking in at a hefty $50 million budget. Garland wasn’t done though. This year, he linked up again with the studio, this time teaming up with Ray Mendoza, a real-deal Iraq War veteran, for a new war thriller that turned heads before it even left the gate.
From Civil War to Warfare: A Tactical Shift
Warfare, leaner in budget but rich in tension, dropped with a modest $20 million price tag. Critics greeted it like an overdue storm, yet its box office rollout started with a whimper compared to the thunderous success of Civil War. Still, this weekend gave it a breath of fresh momentum, adding another $5 million to its US tally and pushing it past the $17 million line. That’s just enough to edge out The Hurt Locker on the domestic front, a film that once ruled the Iraq War drama space and even snatched the Oscar for Best Picture back in 2009.
Overseas, Warfare hasn’t made its play yet, which keeps its global fate hanging in the balance. But back home, the film is racking up praise like it’s going out of style. With a gleaming 94% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 93% audience rating, especially rare for a politically-loaded war movie, it’s clear that the film has struck a nerve. What’s more surprising is its strong draw in Middle America, a region not typically in sync with its progressive tone.
Critics and Audiences Aligned
If the numbers haven’t caught up yet, the buzz certainly has. Collider’s Aidan Kelley didn’t hold back, as he described it as “one of the best films of 2025,” and wrote that it “not only becomes the best tribute to U.S. veterans that it could possibly be, but it also gives viewers a slight sense of what these brave individuals went through to go above and beyond the call of duty.”
And let’s not ignore the magnetic pull of its cast. Garland and Mendoza assembled a battlefield of talent. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai leads the charge as Mendoza himself, backed by a roster that includes Charles Melton, Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, Michael Gandolfini, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, and Noah Centineo.
