The records are toppling this week at the domestic box office, as “Barbenheimer” day is finally upon us. Combined,Greta Gerwig’sBarbieandChristopher Nolan’sOppenheimerare looking at over $230 million in the opening weekend alone, as the box office preps itself for one of the biggest clashes in years, and one of the biggest weekends in history. As expected, Gerwig’s more accessible comedy is handily outperforming Nolan’s dense drama by a wide margin, although both films are vastly exceeding projections heading into the weekend.
With an estimated $70 million on Friday,Barbieis expected to generate over $155 million in its three-day debut, which is enough to make it the biggest opener of the year so far. This title was previously held byThe Super Mario Bros. Movie, which made $146 million in its three-day debut, and over $200 million across the extended five-day Easter weekend. StarringMargot RobbieandRyan Goslingas the popular Mattel dolls Barbie and Ken, the film has received excellent reviews, with Collider’sRoss BonaimewritingthatBarbie“could’ve just been a commercial, but Gerwig makes this life of plastic into something truly fantastic.” The movie’s resounding success truly is a moment to celebrate for Gerwig, who has risen from themumblecore movementand emerged as one of the most important living filmmakers.Barbie’s debut is the biggest opening weekend haul for a solo female director, surpassing the $103 million thatPatty Jenkins’Wonder Womanopened to in 2017. The movie has also landed an impressive A rating on CinemaScore.
The movie is playing in over 4,200 domestic theaters, and runs over an hour shorter thanOppenheimer, which is playing in around 500 fewer theaters nationwide. Factors such as this invariably play a role in how much money a movie is able to make. Longer movies likeOppenheimercan’t squeeze in as many shows in a day asthe average summer title, which is why they’re discouraged by studios. But if there’s one director who canget away with virtually anythingright now, it’s Nolan.
RELATED:It’s Actually Genius That ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ Are Premiering on the Same Day
StarringCillian Murphyas the theoretical physicist who helped create the world’s first atomic bombs,Oppenheimergrossed $33 million on Friday, and is on its way to a solid $77 million three-day debut. This isn’t, of course, in the same league as the $150 million-plus debuts that Nolan’sThe Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight Risesdelivered over a decade ago, but it’s bigger than the weekend debuts ofInterstellar($47 million),Dunkirk($50 million) andTenet(which had an unusual release at the peak of the pandemic). LikeBarbie,Oppenheimerhas received excellent reviews, with Collider’s Bonaimecalling itNolan’s “most colossal and mature film yet.”
Two Movies with a Combined Budget of $600 Million Took the Fourth and Fifth Spots
Last week’s number one movie,Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part Onedidn’t evaporate from the face of the earth because of the combined power of nuclear energy and plastic, as many had feared. The mega-budget action movie is actually eyeing a soft 54% drop in its second weekend, after grossing $5.5 million on Friday. This takes the film’s running domestic total to over $100 million after 10 days of release — not ideal, but not terrible either. The top five was rounded out byIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which added $1.9 million on Friday, taking its running domestic total to $154 million.
you may watch our interviews withBarbiestars Robbie and Gosling here, and stay tuned to Collider for more box office updates over the weekend.
