Barbie cosplayers pose outside the convention center on July 20, 2023, in San Diego, California, during San Diego Comic-Con International.
With legions of pink-clad moviegoers swarming theaters, Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” dominated North American box offices in its opening weekend, grossing an estimated $155 million—nearly twice as much as its closest competitor.
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Exhibitor Relations reports that the other half of the anticipated “Barbenheimer” weekend, which saw the release of Universal’s much darker biopic “Oppenheimer” on the same day and inspired hundreds of thousands to organize their own double features, grossed an additional $80.5 million.
David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research stated, “This is a record-breaking debut” for “Barbie.” No comedy has ever debuted with more than $85.9 million over a three-day weekend.
Gross noted that “Oppenheimer” saw a “superb opening.”
According to industry estimates, approximately 200,000 individuals purchased tickets for both films.
On separate days, millions more people were inclined to watch both films.
The simultaneous release of two highly anticipated films, one about an iconic doll eager to paint the world pink and the other about the scientist who helped invent the atomic bomb, created a pop-culture phenomenon that transcended the marketing for either film.
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Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said in a statement on Sunday, “This was a phenomenal experience for those who adore movies on the big screen.”
“It was a truly historic weekend.”
The “Barbenheimer” films created an enormous gap between the weekend’s top two grossing films and the third-placed film, “Sound of Freedom.”
The controversial action thriller produced by Santa Fe Films and Angel Studios, which critics say promotes Qanon conspiracy theories, earned $20.14 million.
In fourth and fifth place were franchise sequels, which have recently dominated the box office.
“Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One,” the latest installment in the long-running series starring Tom Cruise, earned $19.5 million.
Disney’s “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” grossed $6.7 million. This final episode of “Indy” features Harrison Ford as a whip-wielding archaeologist.
Completing the top 10 were:
“Insidious: The Red Door” grossed $6.5 million.
“Elemental” ($5.8 million)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ($2.8 million) was the highest-grossing film of 2018.
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” (1,12 million) grossed a total of $1,12 million.
“No Hard Feelings” ($1,07,000,000)
