Leonardo DiCaprio: The box office will always be important

Leonardo DiCaprio thinks box-office numbers will always be "important".

The 50-year-old actor - who is one of the best-paid movie stars in the world - acknowledges the ever-increasing importance of streaming platforms, but he believes the box-office will always be a significant element of the film industry.

He told Variety: "I think there’s just an inundation of content and so much production going on now — which is a good thing, obviously. But I think box office is important because it means people are in the seats going to theatre, going to have that communal experience."

DiCaprio stars alongside the likes of Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor, and Chase Infiniti in One Battle After Another, the new Paul Thomas Anderson-directed action thriller.

And the Hollywood star explained that his latest movie is "uniquely crafted and specialized" for cinemagoers.

He reflected: "I mean, Paul shot this movie in Vista Vision — cameras that have rarely been used since the early ‘60s.

"He wants people to have that immersive experience and make an action film that’s unexpected, tactile, realistic and something that is probably a lot different than what we’ve been saturated with. In that respect, box office is very important."

DiCaprio is actively encouraging film fans to watch One Battle After Another in a cinema, rather than at home.

The actor - who has previously starred in blockbusters such as Inception and Titanic - said: "I would only hope that people go out to the theatre and experience it the way it’s meant to be seen."

DiCaprio remains one of the biggest names in the movie industry, but he recently revealed that he was once warned that his name was "too ethnic" for Hollywood.

The acclaimed actor was told by his first agent that he'd need to change his name in order to thrive in the film business.

During an appearance on the New Heights podcast, DiCaprio recalled: "I go, ‘What do you mean, it’s Leonardo DiCaprio?’ They go, ‘No, too ethnic. They’re never going to hire you.'"

The award-winning actor was actually given a new name to use by his former agent.

He was told: "‘Your new name is Lenny Williams'. I said, ‘What is Lenny?’ … ‘We took your middle name [Wilhelm] and we made it your [last name]. Now you’re Lenny.'"

However, DiCaprio's dad, George DiCaprio, was quick to rubbish the idea.

The film star explained: "My dad saw his photo, ripped it up, and he said, ‘Over my dead body.'"