The highly anticipated double feature of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, known as Barbenheimer, has finally arrived, and it’s exceeding all box office expectations.
Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, dominated the weekend box office with an impressive debut of $155 million, according to Comscore. This comedy-filled film directed by Greta Gerwig also made history by setting a new record for the biggest opening weekend for a female director. The previous record was held by Captain Marvel, which earned $153 million in ticket sales back in 2019, but Barbie surpassed it with ease.
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Warner Bros. had already hinted at Barbie’s success, reporting $22.3 million in gross earnings from Thursday night previews alone. This amount smashed previous records held by blockbuster franchises like The Batman, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Top Gun: Maverick.
The positive reception from both critics and audiences contributed to Barbie’s impressive global debut, earning an additional $182 million worldwide. In total, Barbie raked in a staggering $337 million during its opening weekend.
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Oppenheimer, although trailing behind Barbie, still managed to exceed box office projections by a large margin. The period drama, with Cillian Murphy portraying physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, earned $80.5 million during its opening weekend. This film secured the second spot globally, grossing $93.7 million worldwide, and accumulating a combined estimate of $174.2 million.
Sound of Freedom, produced by Angel Studios, continued to generate profits despite facing controversy. AMC Theaters publicly dismissed viral conspiracy theories claiming they were sabotaging the film’s success. Sound of Freedom added $20 million to its domestic earnings, bringing its total to $124 million.
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Mission: Impossible faced a slightly disappointing second weekend at the box office, slipping to the fourth position domestically. However, it fared much better on the global stage, earning an additional $75.4 million and accumulating a total of $370 million in global earnings. Domestically, the film brought in an extra $19.5 million, totaling $118 million.
Finally, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny secured the fifth position with $6.7 million in domestic earnings and $335 million worldwide.
In conclusion, both Barbie and Oppenheimer have made significant impacts on the box office, exceeding expectations and delighting audiences worldwide. The success of these films, alongside other notable releases, has resulted in a vibrant and promising summer movie season.