Staff Writer
Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” dominated the North American box office in its opening weekend, bringing in $155 million, according to projections on Sunday. This was about twice as much money as its closest rival.
According to data from Exhibitor Relations, the second half of the eagerly anticipated “Barbenheimer” movie weekend, which saw the release of Universal’s much darker biopic “Oppenheimer” on the same day and inspired thousands to organize their own double features, brought in a whopping $80.5 million.
Barbie had a “record-breaking opening,” according to Franchise Entertainment Research’s David A. Gross. No comic movie has ever had an opening weekend gross of more than $85.9 (million).
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer spotted a “superb opening,” according to Gross.
Industry estimates indicate that some 200,000 people believed to have bought tickets for both movies.
Millions more were probably gonna see both movies on different days.
The coincidental release on the same day of two films that were widely anticipated but were very different from one another — one about a scientist who helped develop the atomic bomb and the other about an iconic doll ready to paint the world pink — created a pop-culture phenomenon that went beyond the marketing for either movie.
According to Michael O’Leary, president and chief executive officer of the National Association of Theatre Owners, “this was a phenomenal experience for people who love movies on the big screen.”
“This weekend was truly historic,”
The combined box office performance of the “Barbenheimer” movies created a significant gap between the top two slots for the weekend and the third position, which was held by “Sound of Freedom.”
Santa Fe Films and Angel Studios’ contentious action thriller, which critics claim brings in $20.14 million while feeding QAnon conspiracy claims.
The type of franchise sequels that have recently dominated the box office were in fourth and fifth place.
The latest installment of Tom Cruise’s popular series, “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” from Paramount, made $19.5 million.
Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” made $6.7 million. Harrison Ford reprises his role as a whip-cracking archeologist in this “Indy” episode, which is most likely the final.
