Box office booming with ‘Barbie’ blitz, ‘Oppenheimer’ retains its second place

57

One week on, the ‘Barbenheimer’ fervor shows no sign of diminishing.

A week following the extraordinary box office records set by Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, both films continue to demonstrate remarkable resilience in cinemas. ‘Barbie’ raked in an impressive $93 million in its second weekend, as reported by studio estimates on Sunday. ‘Oppenheimer’ retained its second place with a strong $46.2 million. The sales for both films experienced a dip of 43% and 44% respectively – significantly less than the typical decrease in the second week.

The ‘Barbenheimer’ effect is far from a fleeting phenomenon, rather it has evolved into an enduring box office extravaganza. The total ticket sales for both films globally have already crossed the $1 billion mark. Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst at data firm Comscore, referred to this as “a landmark moment for films, film lovers, and cinemas.”

Dergarabedian noted, “I’m not sure if there’s a precedent in the annals of box office history for two films from competing studios benefiting one another in this manner — both financially and in raising their profiles. There’s truly no parallel for this.”

MORE ‘BARBENHEIMER’:
In the triumphs of ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’, audiences relay a message to Hollywood: We crave novelty
The backstory of Barbenheimer, the most fervently discussed film showdown of the summer
‘Barbie’ director Greta Gerwig aims to embrace the chaos

Following its year’s top opening of $162 million, Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’, the pop sensation steeped in pink, showed an extraordinary continuation of business throughout the week and the following weekend. The film surpassed Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ for the best first 11 days in theaters for any Warner Bros. release.

‘Barbie’ has quickly amassed $351.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, a pace that suggests it will soon be the biggest box-office success of the summer. Each day it has played, ‘Barbie’ has earned at least $20 million.

The ‘Barbie’ phenomenon isn’t confined to North America. Over the weekend, the film brought in $122.2 million in international markets. Its worldwide total now stands at $775 million, a figure that leaves even seasoned studio executives amazed.

“That’s an insane figure,” stated Jeff Goldstein, the distribution head for Warner Bros. “There’s just an inherent audience that wants to participate in the zeitgeist of the moment. Everywhere you turn, people are donning pink. Pink is dominating the globe.”

As the hysteria continues, ‘Barbie’ is already enticing a substantial number of repeat viewers. Goldstein estimates that about 12% of the ticket sales are from people revisiting the film with friends or family.

In a time when the film industry is striving to regain its pre-pandemic footing — currently finding itself largely closed due to strikes by actors and screenwriters — the sensations of ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ have exemplified what’s achievable when everything aligns perfectly.

“In the post-pandemic world, there are no boundaries and there is no bottom,” Goldstein explained. “The films that flop, flop hard, and the ones that hit, hit it big.”

Meanwhile, Universal Pictures’ ‘Oppenheimer’ is behaving more like a superhero movie than a three-hour film about scientists talking.

Nolan’s drama, featuring Cillian Murphy as the atomic bomb physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, has gathered $174.1 million domestically so far. With an additional $72.4 million from international cinemas, ‘Oppenheimer’ has already surpassed $400 million globally.

Screenings in IMAX have generally been fully booked. ‘Oppenheimer’ has generated $80 million worldwide in IMAX. The large-format exhibitor announced on Sunday that it will extend the film’s run through Aug. 13.

Walt Disney Co.’s new release ‘Haunted Mansion’, based on the Disney theme park attraction, was clearly eclipsed by the ‘Barbenheimer’ storm. The film, costing about $150 million, premiered with $24 million domestically and $9 million internationally. ‘Haunted Mansion’, directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Bad Hair”) and starring an ensemble cast of LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Rosario Dawson, had a tough time overcoming mediocre reviews.

‘A24’s ‘Talk to Me’, a supernatural horror film, performed better. It premiered with $10 million. The film, directed by Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou and featuring Sophie Wilde, was a midnight premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received terrific reviews from critics (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It was produced for a modest $4.5 million.

While packed theaters have provided a significant boost to the film industry, it’s been more challenging for Tom Cruise, the purported savior of the movies last summer with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. ‘Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I’, which debuted a week before ‘Barbenheimer’, grossed $10.7 million in its third weekend. The film, starring Cruise and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, has grossed $139.2 million domestically and $309.3 million abroad.

In contrast, the surprise hit ‘Sound of Freedom’ has been the best performing release in theaters not associated with ‘Barbenheimer’. The Angel Studios’ film, which counts crowdfunding pay-it-forward sales in its box office totals, made $12.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its total earnings so far to nearly $150 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday.

1. “Barbie,” $93 million.

2. “Opppenheimer,” $46.2 million.

3. “Haunted Mansion,” $24.2 million.

4. “Sound of Freedom,” $12.4 million.

5. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” $10.7 million.

6. “Talk to Me,” $10 million.

7. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” $4 million.

8. “Elemental,” $3.4 million.

9. “Insidious: The Red Door,” $3.2 million.

10. “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,” $1.6 million.

---

Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Barbenheimer box office success

More about Barbenheimer box office success

• Box Office Records of Barbie and Oppenheimer
• Greta Gerwig’s Barbie
• Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
• Post-Pandemic Cinema
• Global Box Office Records
• Jeff Goldstein on Barbie’s Success
• Universal Pictures’ Oppenheimer
• Disney’s Haunted Mansion
• Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I