The biggest box office battle of 2023 is here as Oppenheimer and Barbie have released last week. Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus and Greta Gerwig’s summer blockbuster. The box office battle has been named “Barbenheimer“. So, who is ahead in this race? Well, the box office predictions certainly said Barbie as the film was set to earn anywhere between $90 million to $125 million in its opening weekend. Oppenheimer, on the other hand was expected to open bigger at $50 million domestic. The first worldwide projections revealed Barbie bringing in $165 million and Oppenheimer opening at an even $100 million worldwide. It was predicted that combined, both the films were going to take the box office by storm with $260 million merged opening worldwide, which is on the lower end of the projections. Both the films sold more than 40,000 tickets for Barbie and Oppenheimer double features. So, were the predictions right? Let’s see.
Barbie vs Oppenheimer: A Joint Victory?
Right off the bat, the box office predictions couldn’t be more wrong. The real figures of Oppenheimer and Barbie are astronomical. The box office predictions are nothing compared to them. Barbie claimed the Number 1 spot at the box office and collected $155 million from 4,243 American theatres (domestic collections). This is the biggest opening weekend of 2023 as Barbie surpassed The Super Mario Bros. This is also the biggest opening weekend collection for a film directed by a woman.
It is not just Barbie that surprised everyone, Oppenheimer opened with a massive $80.5 million from 3,610 American theatres. This is Nolan’s biggest non-IP opener and among the best for an R-rated biographical drama. It also happens to be the first time in the history of cinema that one movie opened at more than $100 million and the other at more than $80 million. When the dust settles, this will likely be the fourth biggest box office weekend ever. The international figures of both films are even more impressive.
Barbie grossed $182 million from 69 international markets, culminating in a $337 million worldwide weekend. Oppenheimer out did itself as the Nolan directorial earned $93.7 million from 78 different territories for a massive $174.2 million global total. While Oppenheimer is behind Barbie globally but in many markets the film has trumped over Gerwig’s blockbuster. Oppenheimer has collected rs. 49 crores in India over the weekend while Barbie only managed to earn rs. 18.50 crores.
Unfortunately, the only loser at the box office was Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1 that faced a 64% fall this weekend and only added $19.5 million to its domestic collection of $118.8 million. This is also the best time for business at the box office post pandemic. Check out the graph below for details:
Also, this is the second busiest time at the box office post pandemic as nearly 18.5 million footfalls have been recorded in the US, first being Spider-Man: No Way Home (20 million). I have to say this is a wonderful event as it sends a clear message across Hollywood that the audiences don’t want franchises anymore and original cinema can thrive. While I happen to dislike Barbie because I have my fair share of problems with the movie but I’m happy to see that it is the biggest opener of 2023 and not a superhero movie.
What can I say about Oppenheimer? It is a Christopher Nolan film and that is all you need to know. Experience it on the biggest screen possible. It is not Nolan’s best but it deserves these box office numbers and more. Altogether, Barbenheimer has taken cinemas by storm as the combined worldwide collection of both films is $511.2 million, almost double of what was predicted earlier.
The story of Oppenheimer is adapted from Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer will be the first film to be shot in B/W and IMAX. The film is made on a hefty budget of $185 Million. The film basically has half of Hollywood in it including Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Kenneth Branagh, Gary Oldman, Casey Affleck and Michael Angarano.
Barbie’s script has been co-written with Greta Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story, Frances Ha, White Noise). Margot Robbie will star in the titular role with Ryan Gosling playing Ken, Barbie’s male counterpart. The rest of the cast includes, America Ferrera, Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Ncuti Gatwa, Alexandra Shipp, Ariana Greenblatt, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackay and Hari Nef.
Barbenheimer are playing in theatres near you.
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