Barbie and Oppenheimer blow the roof off the box office raking in $235 million domestically

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Barbie
Australian actress Margot Robbie poses on the pink carpet upon arrival for the European premiere of "Barbie" in central London on July 12, 2023. Hollywood A-listers have been walking red carpets in hot pink, glitter is back, and companies from The Gap to Burger King are doing rose-colored collaborations: "Barbie" mania is everywhere as the hotly anticipated film hits theaters worldwide. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)

Barbenheimer indeed! Barbenheimer exploded over the weekend, generating an estimated $235.5 million in ticket sales and reinvigorating the domestic box office.

Barbie tallied around $155 million during its first three days in theaters, the highest opening of 2023. Its counterpart Oppenheimer snared an estimated $80.5 million during its debut. The final numbers for the pair’s debuts will be revealed Monday.

Barbie had the largest opening weekend of 2023 and the biggest-ever debut for a female director.

LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Cast and filmmakers light up London pink to celebrate the European Premiere of Barbie, in cinemas 21 July. At London Eye on July 12, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Warner Bros.)

Variety reports that Oppenheimer is looking at an astonishing $80.5 million debut, with 47 percent coming from premium large-format ticket sales. The jumbo-sized 70mm IMAX print of Oppenheimer is showing in just 19 theaters across the United States, and those tickets are already sold out for weeks.

It’s a similar situation across the globe. Oppenheimer has also grossed $93.7 million from international markets, with more than a third of that coming from IMAX showings.

Oppenheimer
(L-R) US actor Matt Damon, British Actor Emily Blunt, Irish actor Cillian Murphy and British Actor Florence Pugh pose on the red carpet upon arrival for the UK premiere of “Oppenheimer” in central London on July 13, 2023. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS / AFP)

Barbie has made the biggest domestic start for a female-directed movie. Its closest comparison is Wonder Woman in 2017, directed by Patty Jenkins, which raked in about $38 million domestically on opening day, according to Box Office Mojo. Captain Marvel, co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, brought in about $62 million.

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