It’s official: Barbenheimer is one of the biggest phenomenons the box office has ever seen. The pair of blockbuster films, Barbie and Oppenheimer, have proven their critical and commercial appeal.
According to ComScore, a media analytics firm, this weekend was the fourth biggest in domestic box office history with all films combining for a gross of $301 million. Without Barbie and Oppenheimer, this feat wouldn’t have been possible as both films alone contributed the sum of $235.5 million to that figure.
We found Barbenheimer’s performance even more impressive when we realized that the three biggest domestic weekends were fueled by sequels in established franchises. If you hadn’t already guessed, the three biggest domestic weekends were those in which Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity Wars, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens opened at the box office.
Despite its controversies, Barbie proved to be the much bigger draw with a $155.5 million gross at the domestic box office. On the other hand, Oppenheimer pulled a little over half of that with $80.5 million.
In foreign markets, Barbie earned $182 million which brings its global gross to $337 million. The Margot Robbie-led film enjoyed its best overseas performance in the UK with $22.9 million, followed by Mexico with $22.3 million, Brazil with $15.9 million, and Australia with $14.6 million.
Apart from its impressive box office performance, Barbie also broke several records.
For one, the Greta Gerwig-helmed pic now holds the record for the biggest opening in North America for a film directed by a woman. Before Barbie, Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, held that record for a solo female director with $103.3 million. Captain Marvel could also lay claim to the record, because of Anna Boden. But then, Boden was one of two directors with the other director being male.
What’s more? The film has dethroned The Super Mario Bros. Movie to the title of the biggest opening of 2023. It delivered the biggest career opening for its two lead stars, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, as well, the latter of which was the director’s only choice for Ken.
Although Oppenheimer couldn’t stand up to Barbie, it did make a tidy sum itself. In addition to its $80.5 million domestic haul, the film enjoyed a strong debut abroad with $93.7 million from 78 markets. Worldwide, Oppenheimer brought in $174.2 million in its first weekend.
Oppenheimer’s performance is even more impressive when you consider its unusually long runtime of 180 minutes and its grim tone. Ahead of its debut, analysts’ projections for the film hovered around the $50 million mark and it beat that conveniently.
Like Barbie, Oppenheimer also set a few records of its own. Thanks to its performance, the film now has the third-biggest opening for a biopic in North America behind 2014’s American Sniper and 2004’s Passion of the Christ. When it comes to the global stage, it has the biggest opening for a biopic – a record that previously belonged to 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Coincidentally, a Passion of the Christ alum, Jim Caviezel, is making waves at the box office once again. The 54-year-old recently starred as the lead character The Sound of Freedom. The film has proven to be a sleeper hit with a box office gross of $124.7 million against its modest budget of $14.5 million.
Barbie and Oppenheimer are currently showing in theaters all over the world.
