The biggest box office face-off in years is living up to the hype. After months of build-up, “Barbenheimer” weekend is finally here, with bothGreta Gerwig’s satirical comedyBarbieandChristopher Nolan’s dense three-hour biographical dramaOppenheimervastly out-performing even the most optimistic projections. Combined, both movies delivered over half a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, which is astounding and encouraging, because it proves that there’s an audience for all kinds of cinema, if it’s made (and marketed) well.
As expected,Barbieis faring better both domestically and internationally, but it’s actuallyOppenheimer’s that’s over-performing more significantly. The movie made $80 million domestically, and $93 million from 78 international territories for a global debut of $174 million,nearly doublingthe $100 million worldwide haul that it was projected to deliver going into the weekend.Barbie, on the other hand, generated a record-breaking $155 million stateside, and $182 million from 69 overseas territories, for a global debut of just over $337 million. For context, Warner Bros’ last big release,The Flash, hasn’t been able to hit this number even after a month in theaters.
Barbiecost a reported $145 million to produce, before marketing spends, which means that W.B. likely has a new franchise on its hands. But Gerwig, whose singular vision played a key role in making the movie the hit that it is, was recently tapped to directtwo Narnia movies for Netflix. ABarbiesequel without her would be unimaginable. With this, Gerwig has scored a hat-trick of critical and commercial hits, followingLady BirdandLittle Women. It’s been remarkable to watch her make her name in the world of indie filmmaking, and go on to become one of the biggest directors in the country.
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Barbiealso marks a much-needed win for starsMargot RobbieandRyan Gosling— both of whom can call W.B. their home studio. While Robbie was coming off the back-to-back big-budget dudsAmsterdamandBabylon(one of them deserved much better), Gosling’s last two theatrical releases —First ManandBlade Runner 2049— were also notable flops (although they’re both lowkey classics).
The Summer Movie Season Needed This
WhileBarbiewas always expected to do better than the $100 millionOppenheimerfor various reasons — it’s more accessible, shorter, and has bigger stars — Nolan’s challenging epic about the “father of the atomic bomb” is drawing crowds the world over on what seems like goodwill alone. Over the years, Nolan has established himself as one of the world’s most respected filmmakers, having consistently delivered blockbusters that respect the audience’s intelligence. Two of his movies —The Dark KnightandThe Dark Knight Rises— have grossed over $1 billion worldwide. He also holds the distinction of having helmed the biggest World War II hit in history,Dunkirk($527 million), and even managed to take complex science-fiction moviesInceptionandInterstellarto around $800 million worldwide.
StarringCillian Murphyin the central role,Oppenheimeris his first film for Universal, after he severed ties with W.B. after its controversial mid-pandemic decision to release its entire 2021 slate simultaneously on streaming. While Nolan’sTenetflopped after being given a hugely controversial theater-only release, the filmmakerwas miffed enoughto shop around for a new home. It was recently reported that W.B. is lookingto lure him back, but there’s no clarity on this yet.
Both movies received excellent A CinemaScores from opening day audiences, and are currently sitting at “fresh” 90%-plus scores on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. This bodes well for their future, because once the “Barbenheimer” buzz wears off, it’s the quality that’ll sustain these pictures through the summer. You can watch our interview with Nolan here, and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
