In a sensational turn of events, both Barbie and Oppenheimer films have achieved a monumental box office opening, surpassing all expectations. Released on Friday (21 July), the two cinematic masterpieces have set the global box office abuzz, with their combined opening weekend earnings set to exceed $400 million—a feat rarely accomplished in the world of cinema, according to The Independent.
Leading the charge is "Barbie," the enchanting creation directed by Greta Gerwig and featuring the dynamic duo of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Early estimates indicate that Barbie is set to rake in an astounding $300 million internationally, making it the most successful opening for an original non-superhero film to date.
"The movie industry has a very healthy record of accommodating two big pictures," said David Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "The studios are very experienced and they don't step on each other," he added, noting that both movies generally attract different audiences, according to AFP.
"Oppenheimer would be more male-oriented and older, and Barbie will be more female-oriented and younger," David told AFP. "But I think everybody is going to both, and it's a fit."
Warner Bros., the studio behind the movie, is reveling in this triumph, as it secures its place among the top-grossing films ever. If Barbie achieves its projected earnings, the only movie ahead of it will be the 2019 blockbuster, "Avengers: Endgame."
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's three-hour epic chronicling the life of the man behind the atomic bomb, is not far behind in the race for box office glory. The biographical drama has outperformed many franchise films, even surpassing the opening weekend earnings of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" from the previous month, with current earnings projected at approximately $100 million.
For Christopher Nolan, "Oppenheimer" marks an impressive milestone as his third-largest opening to date, trailing only behind his acclaimed works, "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises." Furthermore, the film has garnered glowing reviews, cementing its position as one of Nolan's best-reviewed creations. With a 94 per cent rating on aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, "Oppenheimer" shares the top spot with "The Dark Knight," which was released in 2008.
As for India, Oppenheimer has collected ₹31cr over the first two days and Barbie has collected ₹11.5cr so far.
