The exhilaration that swept through movie theaters last year with the release of “Top Gun: Maverick” is back again. Audiences nationwide flocked to theaters on what has become known as “Barbenheimer” day, eagerly anticipating the box office battle between Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”. And as predicted, “Barbie” is taking the lead at the domestic box office, surpassing even the most optimistic projections.
Having generated $70 million on Friday, including $22 million from Thursday previews, the satirical comedy based on the popular Mattel toy-line has raked in an estimated $155 million during its opening weekend. Initial estimates had placed the movie’s debut in the $90 million to $110 million range. This remarkable success has made Gerwig the most successful solo female filmmaker in terms of opening weekend earnings, surpassing Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” debut of $103 million in 2017.
Furthermore, “Barbie” has claimed the title of the highest-grossing opening weekend of the year so far, surpassing the $146 million debut of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” during the Easter weekend. The film also provides a much-needed boost for Warner Bros. after the disappointing performance of “The Flash” a few weeks ago, and marks a comeback for star Margot Robbie, who had previously experienced setbacks with big-budget films like “Amsterdam” and “Babylon”. Robbie, who also serves as a co-producer on “Barbie”, has set the stage for a potentially lucrative new franchise for Warner Bros.
In an alternate universe, the studio would have released this week’s other major film, the three-hour biographical epic “Oppenheimer”, based on the life of the renowned theoretical physicist known as the “father of the atomic bomb”. However, due to a controversial mid-pandemic release strategy that seemed to favor Warner Bros.’ streaming site Max over movie theaters, the studio alienated its esteemed filmmaker, Christopher Nolan. As a result, Nolan took his business to Universal, which is now showing “Oppenheimer” in over 3,600 theaters across the country. The film earned $33 million on Friday, including $10 million from previews, and is expected to have a weekend total of $80 million. This is over $30 million more than anticipated, highlighting Nolan’s unparalleled ability to attract audiences to theaters. It becomes Nolan’s third-best opening, surpassed only by “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises”.
Unfortunately, amidst this success, “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One” is suffering. The film, starring Tom Cruise, debuted in theaters just a week and a half before the “Barbenheimer” showdown and is experiencing a significant drop in ticket sales. In its second weekend, the movie added $19.5 million, bringing its domestic total to just under $120 million. These numbers are concerning considering the film’s reported budget of $290 million, which includes pandemic-related overruns.
Unlike “Mission: Impossible”, the disappointing performance of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” can be partly attributed to poor reviews. The final adventure featuring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones did not receive the critical acclaim that Disney had hoped for, and its box office earnings reflect this sentiment. The film earned around $7 million over the weekend, bringing its total domestic earnings to just under $160 million. Overall, the weekend’s box office revenue exceeded $300 million, the highest since 2019 when “Avengers: Endgame” broke all records and the fourth-highest in history.
For more updates, check out our interview with Greta Gerwig and stay tuned to Collider for all the latest news in the entertainment industry.
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
