Greta Gerwig’s film could make $140 million in its first weekend in theaters while Christopher Nolan’s feature, slated to stay on screen longer, is expected to top $50 million.
The American box office is about to experience a striking contrast at its peak this weekend, with the most anticipated films starring, on the one hand, the iconic doll, and on the other, the inventor of the atomic bomb. Beginning Friday, July 21, hundreds of thousands of North American moviegoers will prepare to dive into both worlds for the big-screen release of Barbie and D’Oppenheimer.
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More than 200,000 spectators have indeed planned to see one and then the other on the same day, by the end of the weekend, according to Michael O’Leary, president of the National Association of Theater Owners, to which will be added millions of others, all over the world, who will see these films at one time or another.
The simultaneous screening of the two blockbusters fueled a wave of jokes and hijackings on social networks. Spectators have fun considering their clothing transformation from one film to another, but also the appearance of a range of specific derivative products, a trend already dubbed “Barbenheimer”.
The day has come. #Barbenheimer #OppenheimerMovie #Oppenheimer #Barbie #BarbieMovie pic.twitter.com/Lgk4fAWpXU
— GoldenSeries (@series_golden) July 21, 2023
An effect that could “to have boosted interest in both films in a way that neither would have achieved otherwise, had they been released on different dates”believes Shawn Robbins, haschief analyst for Boxoffice Pro. An opinion joined by David Gross, from the firm Franchise Entertainment Research, for whom the films will help each other rather than be in competition, by creating envy among moviegoers.
“Cinephiles seize it and make it their own object (…) I don’t remember such a phenomenon., he adds, noting that the box office numbers should be exceptional. For Shawn Robbins, Barbie could gross $140 million for its first weekend in theaters, whileOppenheimerslated to stay on screen longer, is expected to top 50 million.
Melanie Kelley, a 39-year-old consultant, is among those planning to see both films on the same day, accompanied by three friends, starting with Oppenheimer in the morning before ending in the pink enchantment of Barbie during a dinner at the cinema. Enough to leave enough time to discuss the historical drama. “There is a lot of attention around these films because they are both interesting and totally different from each other. Between that and the possibility of spending the day at the cinema, I sign immediately”she told AFP.