'Barbie' And 'Oppenheimer' Put Up Insane Box Office Numbers, Prove Movies Are Back
Business is booming in Hollywood thanks to "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer."
Both highly-anticipated films premiered last week, and expectations were that both would do reasonably well.
After all, "Barbie" has a built-in fanbase and "Oppenheimer" has been hyped as the movie of the year.
The opening weekend numbers are in, and both cruised past expectations. Margot Robbie's "Barbie" a global total of $337 million against a $145 million budget, including $155 million domestically.
The film with Robbie and Ryan Gosling now has the biggest premiere of the 2023. That's what we like to call winning.
"Oppenheimer" puts up big numbers.
"Oppenheimer" didn't match those numbers, but the R-rated film about the creation of the atomic bomb blew past expectations of earning around $50 million domestically.
The film hauled in $80.5 million in the United States and carried in a global total of $174 million against a $100 million budget.
No matter how you cut the numbers, both movies crushed the box office over the weekend.
"Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" dominate the weekend box office. (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Is this proof Hollywood is back?
This past weekend is tracking to be the fourth biggest weekend in Hollywood once the numbers are finalized.
That's unbelievably impressive. Movie theaters were on life-support during the COVID-19 pandemic. They were closed, content shifted to streaming and it appeared the downward trending facing theaters had been hit with steroids.
The only films that really broke the mold Were "Avatar: The Way of the Water," "Spider-Man: No Way Home," "Top Gun: Maverick" and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
It was hard to find hits for a very long time. "Maverick" kind of got things going again for movie theaters, and now it appears theaters are going to have their best weekend in a very long time.
It's not just that one move did well. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" both put up outrageous numbers.
"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" have great reviews.
Admittedly, I haven't seen either movie yet. I will definitely eventually see "Oppenheimer." The main takeaway is the majority of the early reactions have been that both films are just wildly entertaining.
Just like what we've learned from Taylor Sheridan, focusing on entertaining above all is a great way to print cash.
That's what "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's latest movie did over the weekend. It's a formula more studios hopefully start to follow.
Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" is a hit. "Barbie" led the weekend box office. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
Which of the two did you see? Both? Just one. Let us know your thoughts on the films in the comments below.