‘Balbenheimer’ was not only a success, it also brought gold to the box office. The social media-driven fusion of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” brought record attendances to theaters this weekend, far exceeding expectations and offering a glimmer of hope at the faltering box office amid the solemn backdrop of the strike. The Warner Bros. Barbie doll secured the #1 spot in 4,243 theaters in North America with a staggering $155 million in ticket sales, surpassing the Super Mario Bros. movies (and all Marvel movies that year) to become the biggest opening of the year and the first-weekend record for a film directed by a woman.
Universal’s ‘Oppenheimer’ also surpassed all expectations, earning him $80.5 million at the box office in his 3,610 theaters in the United States and Canada. It was Nolan’s biggest non-Batman debut and one of the best starts ever for an R-rated biopic. It’s also the first time that one movie has grossed over $100 million and another has grossed over $80 million in the same weekend. If all is worked out, the weekend will likely top $300 million in the industry, making it the fourth-biggest weekend of all time. And all of this in a market that is increasingly moving to the intellectual property principle of winner-takes-all.
The “Barbenheimer” phenomenon may have started as a well-intentioned competition between two aesthetic rivalries, but as many expected, it ultimately benefited both films. Internationally, “Barbie” grossed his $182 million at the box office in 69 countries, and worldwide he grossed $337 million at the weekend box office. “Oppenheimer” grossed $93.7 million in 78 regions, surpassing “Barbie” in India with a total of $174.2 million.
The only real sacrifice is the “Mission: impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I saw him plummet 64% in its second weekend, despite good ratings and a good opening weekend. Overshadowed by the fascination of “Barbenheimer” and the tragedy of losing his IMAX screen to “Oppenheimer,” Tom Cruise’s vehicle box office grossed his $19.5 million, with domestic grosses reaching his $118.8 million.
Also, “Barbenheimer” is not just another show. But while a certain percentage of avid moviegoers overlap, the audience as a whole is different. At the historic “Barbie” opening, 65 percent of the audience was female, and 40 percent of ticket buyers for the PG-13 rated movie were under the age of 25, according to PostTrak.
“It’s just a fun time in the world,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic sales for Warner Bros. “This is history in many ways.” “I think this marketing campaign of his will go on forever and people will always talk about it.” Oppenheimer’s audience was 62 percent male, 63 percent he was over 25, and a surprising 32 percent he was 18-24.
Both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were well received by critics, scoring 90 percent and 94 percent respectively on Rotten Tomatoes, and audiences gave both films CinemaScores. And social media was flooded all weekend with all kinds of reactions and “opinions,” good, bad, and problematic. This is an organic event cinematic debate the marketing budget can’t buy.
“The events of ‘Bavenheimer’ were a real boost for both films,” said Goldstein. “This is a crowning achievement for all of us.” “Oppenheimer” occupied the majority (80%) of premium large format screens. About 25 theaters in North America offered IMAX 70mm screenings (director Nolan’s format of choice), but most sold out completely over the weekend, accounting for 2% of total box office receipts. In fact, theaters scrambled to add theaters to keep up with demand, and even the 1am and 6am shows were sold out. “Nolan is truly a big-screen event,” said Jim Orr, Universal’s president of domestic sales.