'Barbie' Tops 'Oppenheimer' With Fantastic Opening Box Office
Barbie and Oppenheimer both opened to huge numbers in previews Thursday night, and midway through Friday, it looks as if both are heading for genuinely staggering numbers which may see the busiest weekend of the post-pandemic era. Barbie, from Greta Gerwig and Warner Bros. Discovery looks set to hit between $68 million and $70 million today — including last night's preview take of $22.3 million — which would put it on course for a projected opening weekend of $150 million at 4,243 theaters. Some box office experts are projecting the movie might reach as high as $170 million. Either way, that would be enough to beat the opening weekend of the year's biggest hit so far, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which opened to $146.3 million.
And that's not to say, Oppenheimer, the weighty, dark, brooding three-hour biopic of the scientist who created the atomic bomb, is fading into the shadows. Far from it, including yesterday's preview takings of $10.5 million in previews, it's aiming for a $32 million opening day and a projected three-day weekend of $75 million from 3,610 theaters. It's also important to remember that the film is playing on fewer screens than Barbie, with fewer screenings due to its runtime. The film is also expected to have a smaller drop over the next few weeks due to the more mature themes and older-skewing audiences compared to Barbie, which is expected to be frontloaded as most female-skewing films tend to be.
That tallies up to a stunning $225 million weekend for movie theaters, which will be absolutely delighted. And that's not all. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is still playing and is on course for a decent second weekend with an estimated $25 million weekend. That would give it a $124.2 million domestic running total. The movie is also playing like gangbusters overseas, and it will gain a further boost in a few weeks when it can return to IMAX, which is currently booked out exclusively by Nolan's Oppenheimer. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is expected to finish in fifth place with a weekend take of $7 million, giving it $159.3 million by the end of the weekend.
Image via Universal Pictures
RELATED: 'Barbie' & 'Oppenheimer' Earn Impressive Box Office Hauls in Previews
Tell All Your Friends To Go To The Movies
Both movies have received exceptional reviews. Barbie has garnered an impressive 89% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes and 81 on Metacritic. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer has soared to a mighty 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 90 on Metacritic. The strong word-of-mouth buzz surrounding both films is anticipated to drive their success further. Adding to the excitement, the viral sensation known as "Barbenheimer" has left a powerful impact, attracting around 200,000 enthusiastic fans who opted for same-day double features, purchasing tickets for both movies.
This weekend, Barbie has gone atomic and proven that life in plastic is indeed fantastic. Check out our interview with Barbie and Ken below:
Source: Collider
