The box office battle between Barbie and Oppenheimer has been dubbed the “Barbenheimer”. The two films opened on the same weekend, July 21-22, 2023, and both exceeded expectations.
Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie, opened to $155 million in the United States and Canada, making it the biggest opening weekend ever for a live-action film based on a toy. It also had the second-biggest opening weekend of all time for a female-directed film, behind only Captain Marvel.
Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy, opened to $80.5 million in the United States and Canada. This was the third-best opening weekend of Nolan's career, behind only The Dark Knight Rises ($160 million) and The Dark Knight ($158 million).
Internationally, Barbie earned $70 million in its opening weekend, while Oppenheimer earned $49 million. This brings Barbie's worldwide total to $225 million and Oppenheimer's worldwide total to $129 million.
It is still too early to say which film will ultimately be the box office winner. However, Barbenheimer has certainly been a success for both films. It has shown that there is an appetite for both big, popcorn-munching blockbusters and more thoughtful, character-driven films.
Here is a table comparing the opening weekend box office results of Barbie and Oppenheimer:
|
Film |
Domestic |
International |
Worldwide |
|
Barbie |
$155 million |
$70 million |
$225 million |
|
Oppenheimer |
$80.5 million |
$49 million |
$129 million |
