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.
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.
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.
