United States: The Hollywood blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer have earned a combined $235.5 million for their opening weekend in North America by attracting moviegoers in record numbers.
The film Barbie, directed by Ms. Greta Gerwig and produced by Warner Bros., achieved the highest-grossing opening of 2023 by generating an impressive $155 million in ticket sales.
Mr. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, chronicling the life of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb, earned $80.5 million, marking one of the most successful openings for a biographical drama to date.
‘Barbenheimer,’ coined through social media to refer to the simultaneous release of both films, is expected to surpass $300 million by the end of the weekend to become the fourth-biggest box office opening of all time.
The simultaneous release of two of the year’s most-awaited blockbusters led hundreds of thousands of film lovers to go see the films on the same day for an unlikely double feature. Both films have been well received by critics, scoring 90 percent and 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.
“The ‘Barbenheimer’ thing was a real boost for both movies,” Mr. Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.’ President of Domestic Distribution, commented.
“It is a crowning achievement for all of us,” Mr. Goldstein added.
“Barbenheimer” achieved remarkable success amidst Hollywood’s largest strike in decades and following a lacklustre June and July, where both “The Flash” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” failed to meet box office expectations. At No. 3, “Sound of Freedom,” an action thriller with controversial themes related to Qanon conspiracy theories, earned $20.14 million.