Barbie Has Biggest Opening Day of 2023 With Massive $70.5 Million Ticket Sales – And Rival Blockbuster Oppenheimer Enjoys 2023’s Third-Biggest Debut With $33 Million
The Barbenheimer weekend is underway and two of the most anticipated films of the summer, Barbie and Oppenheimer, are on track to break multiple box office records.
The Margot Robbie, 33, movie has already logged the biggest opening day of 2023 with $70.5 in ticket sales on Friday. The Cillian Murphy, 47, film, by comparison, took in $33 million for the third biggest take of the year.
Moviegoers are turning out in droves for both films, with many opting to see both in a double feature. This renewed interest in going to movie theatres is expected to bring in an estimated $308 million over the three-day period, according to Deadline. That’s good enough to make this weekend the biggest box office since theatres reopened after the pandemic lockdowns.
It’s also enough ticket sales to become the fourth biggest box office weekend of all time behind Avengers: Endgame’s $402 million in April 2019, Avengers: Infinity Wars’ $314.8 million in April 2018 and Star Wars: Force Awakens’ $313.2 million in December 2015.
And it’s all being done by a bubbly blonde and her himbo boyfriend – not a superhero or space adventurer in sight. Greta Gerwig’s, 39, bubble gum pink movie is on track to make more than $161 million over its opening weekend. Barbie is also on track to take the title for the biggest opening weekend of any film directed by a woman.
Captain Marvel, which was co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, currently holds the record for any film with a female director with the $153 million it opened with in 2019. Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman holds the record for any movie solely directed by a woman with its $103 million in 2017.
Oppenheimer, a film about the development of the atomic bomb by J. Robert Oppenheimer, is on track for $77 million over the three-day weekend, propelled by the film’s $33 million opening day. Christopher Nolan’s, 52, biopic is his third-highest opening weekend and the best-ever opening for an R-rated film, topping John Wick: Chapter 4’s $73.8 million.
There has never been an opening weekend with one film grossing more than $100 million and a second making more than $50 million as Barbie and Oppenheimer are on track to. Barbie had the largest pre-sales at $22.3 million of any Warner Brothers film ever.
It is also the best box office opening weekend numbers for Gerwig, Robbie and Ryan Gosling, 42. Come on Barbie, let’s party, because the film is also one of the best all-time for a female-skewing movie and the only one that is not based on a superhero or established franchise.
In addition to Robbie and Gosling, Barbie also stars Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Simu Liu and Issa Rae.
Alongside Murphy, Oppenheimer also stars Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Rami Malek, Emily Blunt and Florence Pugh.
