'Barbie' tops 'Oppenheimer' with $22.3M at box office in previews
It’s a Barbie world and we’re all just living in it.
In the battle of Barbenheimer, only one major motion picture can rule the double feature — and she’s dazzling in pretty pink plastic.
Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” raked in $22.3 million at the box office in previews, compared to $10.5 million garnered by “Oppenheimer” ahead of the films’ official debut on Friday, Variety reports.
Despite Gerwig’s fears that the hyper-feminine flick would end her career, “Barbie” has turned into a summer smash.
At the box office, the film out-performed the former record-holder “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” which earned $17.5 million in previews in May.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” dropped in theaters Friday. AP
The Post has reached out to representatives for Gerwig, 39, for comment.
“Barbie” is expected to reach $100 million at the box office in its opening weekend, while Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is only anticipated to haul half of that, an estimated $50 million, per Variety.
Eager audiences have long planned to view both back to back for a whopping five hours of screen time. Pre-purchased double-feature tickets soared over 20,000 earlier this month.
The two movies — which are, ironically, polar opposites of each other — have inspired T-shirts, memes and mock movie posters, as fans share their jam-packed weekend itineraries.
The dazzling Barbie Land picture from Warner Bros., which reportedly caused an international pink paint shortage, has captivated audiences with its vibrant, larger-than-life sets and doll costumes fashioned for humans.
“Barbie” dazzles with sets and costumes drenched in bubblegum pink. AP
“Oppenheimer” couldn’t be more opposite from the Greta Gerwig picture — it follows the creation of the atomic bomb. AP
Enthusiastic fans looked pretty in pink as they flocked to theaters, channeling their inner Mattel doll by strutting to cinemas saturated in rouge and flaunting blond hair extensions.
Some even transformed their homes into their very own Malibu DreamHouses ahead of the premiere.
When Barbiecore hit the mainstream last year, Mattel execs couldn’t contain their excitement for the rose ambush.
“Barbiecore is the summer’s latest fashion trend influencing everything from clothing to home decor, and we are here for it,” Kim Culmone, senior vice president and global head of design for Barbie and fashion dolls at Mattel Inc., told The Post last year.
“Fashion is a form of self-expression and Barbiecore celebrates living boldly and authentically.”
She concluded: “It’s been delightful seeing celebrities decked out in their best pink looks — Barbie would approve.”
Fans of both films planned Barbenheimer double features on Friday. AP
Mattel previously told The Post that Barbie would “approve” of the Barbiecore looks. Getty Images for Warner Bros.
“Barbie” outperformed “Oppenheimer” in box office previews ahead of the double debut. AP
The fuchsia fever fantasy, rated 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, has been hailed as “smart” and “idea-packed” as it juggled vivacious entertainment and existential crises while playing into corporate underpinnings.
But Ryan Gosling’s hyperbolic “Kenergy” wasn’t one size fits all. Some critics panned the movie as “woke” and “man-hating” due to its inherently feminist plotline that juxtaposes the ideas of patriarchy and women empowerment.
In recent years, Mattel’s Barbies have been slammed for promoting unrealistic female body expectations despite being the doll that can do it all.
The “Barbie” press tour dazzled with life-size renditions of archival Barbie outfits, worn by cast members on the pink carpet. Getty Images for Warner Bros.
“Oppenheimer” stars Matt Damon (from left), Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh. Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Barbie figurines are sold as doctors, businesswomen, fashionistas, teachers, presidents and more, but their tiny waistlines and disproportionately long legs have come under fire for fostering body issues in young girls.
Ahead of its premiere, the “Barbie” cast and crew kept the storyline under wraps, only teasing the fantastic, plastic and cinematic world of Barbie Land and the vague crisis Margot Robbie’s “Stereotypical Barbie” character endures.
Robbie isn’t the only Barbie pretty in pink: Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, Dua Lipa, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan and Alexandra Shipp portray various Barbie renditions and occupations.
There are also several versions of Ken, played by Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans and Kingsley Ben-Adir.
The Barbiecore craze began last summer, when the cast of “Barbie” was spotted filming in California’s Venice Beach. AP
Murphy plays the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, who worked with scientists to develop the atomic bomb. AP
The diversity, Robbie said, is what elicited her agreement to be in the blockbuster.
“I don’t think I would have wanted to attempt to make a Barbie film,” she told Time.
“I don’t think you should say, ‘This is the one version of what Barbie is, and that’s what women should aspire to be and look like and act like.'”
Source: New York Post
