Although Oppenheimer is a film about an atomic bomb, Barbie came out as the bombshell at the box office over the weekend.
In what is being described as a cultural phenomenon, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, together dubbed “‘Barbenheimer,” have reinvigorated the movie-going experience, exceeding box office expectations during its opening weekend.
According to Comscore, Barbie, which follows the life of Mattel’s classic doll, came out on top with US$155 million in ticket sales from North American theatres across 4,200-plus locations. Multiple media reports say this is the biggest opening of the year and the biggest opening for a movie based on a toy. Additionally, it is the first weekend record for a film directed by a woman.
Meanwhile, its accompanying double feature teammate Oppenheimer, received US$80.5 million across 3,600-plus theatres in the U.S. and Canada. The Associated Press says this is “Nolan’s biggest non-Batman debut and one of the best-ever starts for an R-rated biographical drama” about J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Ultimately, the historic weekend gave way to many firsts in the film industry, including the first time one movie opened to more than US$100 million and another movie opened to more than US$80 million in the same weekend, according to the Associated Press.
Internationally, Barbie earned US$337 million from 70 territories and Oppenheimer received US$174. 2 million from 79 territories. Overall, the turnout has helped North American multiplexes bounce back to pre-pandemic box office levels. The last time theatres saw results such as this was in April 2019 following the release of Avengers: Endgame.
The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon has strongly been fueled by social media for months leading up to the films’ debut. Many have used the occasion to sport pink and black outfits in support of the double feature.
Both films have been met with the utmost praise since its collective release on Friday, July 21.
At the time of publication, Barbie currently has a 91 per cent review on Rotten Tomatoes and Oppenheimer has 94 per cent.
“Barbenheimer” has delivered the fourth biggest box office weekend in history with over US$300 million in domestic theatrical history.
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