“Barbenheimer” keeps on growing. Greta Gerwig’s very pink fantasy-comedy “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s extremely dark historical drama “Oppenheimer” powered to bigger opening weekends than originally reported.
“Barbie” ended up with $162 million in its first weekend of release, above Sunday’s already record-breaking estimate of $155 million. The Warner Bros. film, starring Margot Robbie as the plastic, fantastic doll, declined just 9% from Saturday to bring in $43.7 million on Sunday.
Those ticket sales rank as the biggest opening weekend of the year — besting “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146 million). It also stands as the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman, overtaking Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s 2019 blockbuster “Captain Marvel” ($153 million).
“Oppenheimer,” too, beat expectations with $82.4 million, just slightly higher than Sunday’s huge $81.5 million projection. At the international box office, the biopic about the “father of the atomic bomb” added $93.7 million for a global tally of $174 million. Even with a box office draw like Nolan at the helm, it’s a remarkable start for a three-hour-long period piece with little action and lots of talking. It’s one of the best starts for an R-rated film, as well as a biographical drama.
Approved ~ FS
Article URL : https://variety.com/2023/film/news/barbenheimer-box-office-barbie-oppenheimer-historic-weekend-1235678323/