'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer': All the Box Office Records Broken

The viral "Barbenheimer" meme translated into serious sales for the film industry.

By Michael Hein - July 24, 2023 05:57 pm EDT

As expected, the confluence of Barbie, Oppenheimer, and a viral internet trend translated to some big payouts at the box office this weekend. The two movies were scheduled for the same premiere date months ago, and at first, fans joked about them being in competition. That soon morphed into the must-see double feature of the summer.

Barbie opened with over $100 million in sales at the domestic box office this weekend, while Oppenheimer opened with over $50 million according to a report by Deadline. Taken together, the two movies netted about $235.5 million at the domestic box office and about $511 million globally in their first weekend out. These are big numbers on their own, but in the context of their genres and circumstances, they also represent some groundbreaking achievements at the theaters.

Analysts have been shocked by the enthusiasm for "Barbenheimer" – a nickname for this double feature with two movies that seem to be thematically opposed – especially since neither movie comes from an established franchise. This weekend proved that the enthusiasm was not just on social media, but in real life. Here's a breakdown of all the records and milestones these movies set.

Record Joint Opening

For starters, this was reportedly the first time two movies have opened with such high performances on the same weekend. Typically studios try to schedule around each other to avoid competing directly for box office sales, but in this case neither was the loser. According to Deadline, this was the first time in Hollywood's history that a movie opened at $50 million at the same time another movie opened at $100 million.

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Advanced Sales

In anticipation of this event, many fans bought tickets to Barbie and/or Oppenheimer in advance, and it shows. At $49.5 million in advance ticket sales, Barbie set a record for Warner Bros. Barbie also had the largest pre-shows for 2023 so far.

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Premium Sales

Meanwhile, Oppenheimer owned the market on IMAX with its promise of larger-than-life action. The movie had the Biggest IMAX opening that Universal Pictures has ever achieved in the U.S. and Canada, accounting for about $21.1 million in sales. It was the biggest weekend for IMAX in several countries including Mexico, India, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, Chile, Colombia, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Czech Republic.

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Female-Led

Barbie set several records for "female-led" movies – meaning movies directed by women with women as the stars. It was the biggest opening for a female-directed film ever in the U.S., meaning it was also the biggest domestic opening ever achieved by director Greta Gerwig or star Margot Robbie. It was even the biggest domestic opening for Ryan Gosling. Meanwhile, Barbie has already out-earned several other female-led projects including Ocean's 8, Birds of Prey, and Little Women.

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Non-Superhero

As mentioned above, these two movies together helped eschew the idea that only well-established franchises can succeed at the box office these days. Oppenheimer was Christopher Nolan's biggest opening day in 33 overseas markets, and his third-biggest opening globally and in the U.S. In both cases, the movie fell short behind The Dark Knight and Dark Knight Rises, but beat out Batman Begins.

Meanwhile, Barbie now has Warner Bros'. biggest opening weekend not based on a DC Comics adaptation, and the biggest opening weekend ever for a movie based on a toy. That beats out the previous record holder, Transformers.

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Year so Far

So far, 2023 already seen some big movie events, so you might be surprised to hear which ones Barbenheimer has already surpassed. Barbie took the title for the biggest domestic opening of 2023 from the previous champion Super Mario Bros., and the biggest grossing day as well. It is also the biggest premiere for a movie that is not a sequel nor a remake released in July.

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Genre

Finally, Oppenheimer defied the expectations for its genre as a drama and a biopic, with the best premiere day sales for a biopic ever. It overcame previous record holders Bohemian Rhapsody, American Sniper, and Passion of the Christ in that category. It is also the biggest global opening for a drama since 2019 when Creed III took the title. Barbie and Oppenheimer are both playing now only in theaters.

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