Greta Gerwig’s Barbie Makes History with Record-Breaking Opening Weekend
Greta Gerwig has achieved a groundbreaking milestone as her film, Barbie, scored an unprecedented opening weekend gross of US$377 million worldwide. This remarkable achievement solidifies Barbie as the largest debut ever for a film directed by a woman.
The success story continues in North America, where Barbie claimed the top spot at the box office, generating a staggering $155 million from ticket sales across 4,243 locations. This surpasses the opening weekends of highly anticipated releases such as The Super Mario Bros Movie and every Marvel film released this year, establishing it as the biggest opening of the year.
The sensational social media buzz surrounding Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer led to a surge in moviegoers flocking back to theaters for a double feature experience. Oppenheimer also exceeded expectations, earning $80.5 million from 3,610 theaters in the US and Canada. This achievement marks Nolan’s largest non-Batman debut and ranks among the best starts for an R-rated biographical drama.
What makes this weekend even more remarkable is the rare occurrence of two films crossing the $100 million and $80 million thresholds simultaneously. Industry experts predict that, after tallying all the box office numbers on Monday, this weekend will likely rank as the fourth-highest-grossing weekend of all time, surpassing $300 million industrywide.
Internationally, Barbie raked in $182 million from 69 territories, contributing to a global weekend total of $337 million. Oppenheimer performed exceptionally as well, earning $93.7 million from 78 territories, even managing to outperform Barbie in India, resulting in a total global gross of $174.2 million. In the UK, cinema chain Vue reported that one-fifth of their customers enjoyed a double bill of both films, making this the biggest weekend for cinema ticket sales since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
The success of Barbenheimer had a significant impact on ticket sales for Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I, witnessing a 64% decline following a strong opening weekend and positive reviews. Nevertheless, the Tom Cruise-led film managed to add $19.5 million to the North American box office, reaching a total of $118.8 million.
The historic opening weekend for Barbie was predominantly driven by women, constituting 65% of the audience, according to PostTrak. Additionally, 40% of ticket buyers were under the age of 25, demonstrating the film’s strong appeal to younger audiences. In contrast, the audience for Oppenheimer was 62% male, with 63% being over the age of 25, including a surprisingly high proportion of viewers aged between 18 and 24, accounting for 32% of the audience.
This remarkable weekend marks a Hollywood comeback that the industry had been longing for since the start of the pandemic. While there have been notable successes with big films such as Spider-Man: No Way Home, Top Gun: Maverick, and Avatar: The Way of Water, the simultaneous success of two films is especially noteworthy.
Michael O’Leary, President, and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “It was a truly historic weekend and continues the positive box office momentum of 2023. People recognized that something special was happening, and they wanted to be a part of it.”
However, amid this triumphant backdrop, Hollywood is faced with the ongoing dispute between studios and striking actors and writers over a fair contract, casting a shadow of uncertainty over future productions.
Both Barbie and Oppenheimer were the final films on the 2023 release calendar to embark on massive global press tours. With engagements running until the last minute, these films made the most of every opportunity to showcase their star-studded cast. Notably, Oppenheimer rescheduled its London premiere, bringing it forward by an hour. This adjustment allowed Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Cillian Murphy to symbolically join the picket lines before the film’s screening.
As we bask in the triumph of the Barbie and Oppenheimer teams, the industry eagerly anticipates what lies ahead, hoping for a resolution to the ongoing dispute and a return to the success and magic of the silver screen.