"Barbenheimer" Delivers One of the Biggest Box Office Weekends in Years
LOS ANGELES, July 23 - Two very different movies opened on the same day, and the combination turned out to be a hit.
By Sana Whitfield, Culture, Science & Life
· 2 min read
The essentials
- •The internet gave the double feature a name, "Barbenheimer," months ago, and a wave of memes followed, mixing pink Barbie imagery with mushroom clouds.
- •The movie industry has struggled since 2020, with audiences slow to return and streaming taking over.
- •For now, theaters are reporting something they haven't seen in a while: lines.
The short answer
LOS ANGELES, July 23 - Two very different movies opened on the same day, and the combination turned out to be a hit. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" together took in an estimated $235 million at the domestic box office this weekend, according to studio estimates, and sent total weekend ticket sales to their highest level in years.
LOS ANGELES, July 23 - Two very different movies opened on the same day, and the combination turned out to be a hit. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" together took in an estimated $235 million at the domestic box office this weekend, according to studio estimates, and sent total weekend ticket sales to their highest level in years.
"Barbie," Greta Gerwig's comedy starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, opened to an estimated $155 million in the United States and Canada, the biggest opening of 2023 so far. It is also the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman.
"Oppenheimer," Christopher Nolan's three hour drama about the physicist who led the creation of the atomic bomb, took in an estimated $80.5 million. That is an unusually strong number for a long, serious film about history. Cillian Murphy stars, with Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon.
The internet gave the double feature a name, "Barbenheimer," months ago, and a wave of memes followed, mixing pink Barbie imagery with mushroom clouds. Universal announced in 2021 that "Oppenheimer" would open July 21, and Warner Bros. placed "Barbie" on the same date in 2022. Many moviegoers decided to see both, some wearing pink.
Why this matters: The movie industry has struggled since 2020, with audiences slow to return and streaming taking over. Theaters have been hoping for a hit that brings people back in large groups. This weekend suggests that large audiences will still show up for something that feels like an event.
The two films also reached different audiences. Analysts said older viewers were drawn to "Oppenheimer," while younger audiences flocked to "Barbie."
There are still questions about how long the pace will hold. Both movies will face competition in the weeks ahead. The Hollywood actors' strike, which began this month, also means stars cannot promote their films in the usual way.
For now, theaters are reporting something they haven't seen in a while: lines.
Sources
- 01Barbenheimer, Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- 02Barbenheimer frenzy gives sluggish summer box office a major boost, Gulf Timesgulf-times.com
- 03Barbie (film), Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
Corrections
No corrections have been made to this article.
About the reporter
Culture, Science & Life Reporter, Trestlewire
I started a science blog in 2005, back when that was a slightly embarrassing thing to admit at parties, mostly to complain about how badly sleep studies got summarized in the papers. It turned into a job. I have been writing about culture and the science of everyday life ever since, through the arrival of social media, the smartphone, the wellness boom, and roughly four hundred viral productivity hacks.
Read full bio and all stories →The Morning Wire
The day’s reporting, in your inbox before nine.
Free. Unsubscribe any time. We never share your address.