The battle of the bomb versus the bombshell has gone global.
Over the weekend, Greta Gerwig’s very pink fantasy-comedy “Barbie” collected a stunning $182 million at the international box office, bringing its worldwide total to $337 million. Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s R-rated historical drama “Oppenheimer” held its own, igniting to $93.7 million from 78 markets for a huge global tally of $174 million.
“The weekend is a reminder of the kind of cultural relevance movies can bring,” says David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm Franchise Entertainment Research. Elsewhere, he adds, “many of the summer’s high-profile sequels have stumbled, and the new stories have been subdued.”
The two seemingly different blockbusters, which were jokingly pitted against each other by social media, crushed already-stratospheric expectations thanks to the cultural phenomenon known as “Barbenheimer.” Hundreds of thousands of moviegoers booked a double feature for the ages, attending same-day viewings of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.”
“This was a phenomenal experience for people who love movies on the big screen,” says Michael O’Leary, president & CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, the industry’s trade organization. “It was a truly historic weekend. People recognized that something special was happening and they wanted to be a part of it.”
“Barbie” also loomed large over the domestic box office with $155 million, scoring the biggest opening weekend record of 2023 ahead of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146 million). Outside of North America, the top markets were the United Kingdom with $22.9 million, Mexico with $22.3 million, Brazil with $15.9 million, Australia with $14.6 million, Spain with $9.9 million, France with $9.8 million and China with $8.2 million.
Warner Bros. and Mattel backed the $145 million-budgeted “Barbie,” which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the stereotypical versions of Barbie and Ken. The movie, which Gerwig co-wrote with her partner Noah Baumbach, captured much of the cultural conversation in the lead-up to its theatrical release. But it stuck the landing by delivering quality to match the hype. Audiences and critics loved the film, which holds a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Moviegers were equally receptive to “Oppenheimer,” which added $80.5 million at the domestic box office. It’s a remarkable result for a three-hour period piece with little action and lots of talking. It speaks to Nolan’s status as a rare director who can draw audiences on his name alone.
Beyond the U.S. and Canada, the highest grossing territories were the U.K. ($9.3 million), India ($7 million), France ($6.4 million) and Germany ($6.4 million). Imax screens accounted for $35 million of overall ticket sales, including $13.9 million at the international box office — 14.8% of its overseas gross.
“We believe this is just the beginning of what ‘Oppenheimer’ can accomplish at the global box office,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax.
Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book “American Prometheus,” the $100 million-budgeted “Oppenheimer” stars Cillian Murphy as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, who led the development of the atomic bomb that ended World War II. Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh and Alden Ehrenreich co-star.
