The weekend was marked by a real explosion at the worldwide box office with the release of two major films: “Barbie”, by Greta Gerwig, and “Oppenheimer”, by Christopher Nolan. Together, the films have grossed over $511 million worldwide, including $235.5 million in the United States alone. “Berbenheimer” turned out to be the best double play in Hollywood history.
“Barbie” shattered expectations with $155 million domestically and $337 million worldwide, while “Oppenheimer” exceeded the most optimistic calculations with $80.5 million domestically and $174.1 million globally. The great performance of the two confirms that hundreds of thousands of viewers have booked the double session, watching “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” on the same day, despite being completely different from each other.
The Mattel doll comedy broke the record for the year’s biggest opening in the United States and Canada, surpassing “Super Mario Bros. – The Movie” ($146 million). Outside of North America, the top markets were the United Kingdom with $22.9 million, Mexico with $22.3 million and Brazil with $15.9 million.
The cultural impact of “Barbie”
With a budget of 145 million dollars, “Barbie” has practically paid for itself in its debut, becoming a cultural phenomenon of great impact, which has reverberated from fashion and music to discussions about cinema. Despite expectations, the film, which director Greta Gerwig co-wrote with her partner Noah Baumbach, managed to live up to the hype. Audiences and critics alike loved the production, which achieved a 90% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The result was also the highest-grossing opening ever for a film directed by a female director. The previous record holder was ‘Captain Marvel’, co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, which grossed $153 million in 2019. Among films directed exclusively by a woman, the record belonged to Patty Jenkins’ ‘Wonder Woman’, with its $103 million debut in 2017.
The exploits of “Oppenheimer”
Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer,” which cost just over $100 million, pulled in a remarkable result for a three-hour drama with little action and a lot of talk. Its success is unheard of for a dramatic outing that isn’t part of an established franchise, which speaks volumes to Christopher Nolan’s status as a rare filmmaker who can woo audiences by his name alone.
“Oppenheimer” also had the third-largest opening for a “biopic” in North America, just a few dollars behind “American Sniper” ($89.3 million) and “The Passion of the Christ” ($83.8 million). And it has a 93% critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The rest of the Top 5
‘Barbenheimer’ was a major blow to ‘Mission: Impossible: Reckoning Part One’, which lost part of its IMAX screens to Nolan’s film and saw its box office drop 64% in its second week in theaters. Ranked #3, the Tom Cruise thriller made $19.5 million Friday-Sunday (7/23) in North America, reaching a domestic total of $118.8 million and $370.8 million worldwide. Having a colossal budget of 291 million dollars, it will still have to double its collection, remaining among the most viewed in the world for several weeks.
The indie thriller “Sound of Freedom” took fourth place, adding $18.8 million in its fourth weekend. The child trafficking storyline, which Disney scrapped by acquiring 20th Century Fox Productions due to its far-right tone, has so far racked up $123.4 million, making it the 14th highest-grossing film of the year in the United States.
The Top 5 is rounded out by “Indiana Jones and the Relic of Destiny,” which grossed another $6.7 million after four weeks in theaters. Collectively, Harrison Ford’s latest adventure as Indiana Jones has amassed $159 million domestically and $335 million worldwide. However, with a budget of $300 million, his account won’t pay for itself on ticket sales alone.
trailers
Check out trailers for the top 5 movies in the US and Canada over the weekend below.
1 BARBIE
two OPPENHEIMER
3 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – RECOVERY PART 1
4 | SOUND OF FREEDOM
5 | INDIANA JONES AND THE HAIR OF DESTINY |
Source: Terra
Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
