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Barbenheimer (July 21, 2023)
- Thread starter EviLore
- Start date
‘Barbie’ Still Gorgeous With Best YTD $162M Opening; ‘Oppenheimer’ Detonates $82M+ In Incredible $300M+ U.S. Box Office Weekend – Monday AM Update
Box Office: 'Barbie' Eyes $20M Previews, 'Oppenheimer' $9M+
deadline.com
‘Barbie’ Still Gorgeous With Best YTD $155M Opening; ‘Oppenheimer’ Detonates $80M+ In Incredible $300M+ U.S. Box Office Weekend
"Updated figures this AM show Warner Bros.’ new franchise based on the Mattel doll at $48.1M (-32% from Friday/previews), for what is shaping up to still be a $155M start, the biggest opening of 2023. Others believe in their bones this Greta Gerwing-directed, Margot Robbie-Ryan Gosling combo is destined for $160M. Warners isn’t a studio to get over their skis in estimates.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer might be about a bomb, but it’s certainly not a bomb in the box office sense of the word, with the Universal Christopher Nolan-directed movie eyeing $25.8M on Saturday, -22% from Friday night/previews of $33M, for what’s shaping up to be an awesome $80.5M opening, per Universal this morning.
As we spotted on Thursday night, Oppenheimer looked like it was going to emulate the box office trajectory of the R-rated X-Men title, Logan. That pic’s first day/previews was also $33M. However, it had a $31.3M Saturday for what turned out to be an $88.4M opening. Point is, audiences are approaching this Nolan movie like a comic-book movie, not the adult drama that it is. In fact, both movies’ fervent fans are owning it in their cinema attire, dressing up like the characters in Barbie and Oppenheimer (scroll down).
Behold the foot traffic: box office analytics corp EntTelligence says that “Barbenheimer is going to pull in approximately 18.5M patrons this weekend. Other than Spider-Man: No Way Home in 2021 (20M patrons), this is the most foot traffic EntTelligence has monitored, for a three-day new opening film or combination of films, since our formation during the dark period of the pandemic.”
–Barbie clocked 12.8M admissions, which is the highest non-MCU/fresh IP film to open since EntTellgience began monitoring. Only Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and Spider-Man: No Way Home are ahead of it.
Oppenheimer had 5.8M admissions, which EntTelligence says is a record-breaker in the firm’s post pandemic era. It is the most attendees for an R-rated opening, surpassing John Wick: Chapter 4‘s 5.2M.
Despite the awesome weekend for the industry, one rival distributor griped, “It’s hard to keep up with a killer combo like this which plays both cities and small towns.”
Exclaimed Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros. Domestic Distribution President, “We had everybody from Halifax, VA to Honolulu.”
Beamed Universal’s Boss of Domestic Distribution Jim Orr this AM: “Nolan’s films are riveting, exhilarating, and true cinematic experiences. Oppenheimer is a perfect example of that, as it has captivated audiences around the world this weekend with its extraordinary craftmanship and emotional performances from an incredible cast led by Cillian Murphy.”
Barbie cost a net of $128M before P&A, while Oppenheimer cost around $100M.
EntTelligence also reports that four out of five moviegoers went to see Barbie or Oppenheimer this weekend, with the former generating 52% of the overall admission traffic, Oppenheimer repping 27%, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning drawing 6.5%, and Sound of Freedom pulling in 5.6%. Average ticket price for Barbie was $12.65, while Oppenheimer went for $13.65.
"
Good grief, this kind of polar opposite pairing is gonna be a thing from now on, isn't it?
Or at least, ad companies will be paid MILLIONS to try to recreate it for The Marvels, Red Sonja, and who knows what else.
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
Hello fellow kids! Never let a good idea go to waste. Beat it like dead horse.
Miyazaki’s Slave
Gold Member
I thought this was a “counter programming thing” the movie industry cooked up to get more overall sales on an opening weekend by airing two movies with opposite target audiences. First heard about this when Mamma Mia! Debuted along side the Dark Knight
FunkMiller
Gold Member
And it'll never work. This is the kind of marketing that can only be produced organically. Entire text books have been written on how human psychology works in the context of marketing and communications, and that it's consistently word of mouth, organic marketing that works better than anything else, and deliberately recreating/faking it successfully is rarer than rocking horse shit.
This won't stop them trying, as you say. But it'll never work.
DKehoe
Member
Barbie has made nearly $600 million and Oppenheimer nearly $300 million. So Barbenheimer has been a huge success for both sides.
That is just nuts. Studios are gonna go bankrupt trying to replicate this success. 250 million dollar photorealistic CGI My Little Pony for sure, that Ridley Scott Monopoly film back in action, and if we can get a Cabbage Patch Dolls/Garbage Pail Kids crossover......LEGENDARY!
DKehoe
Member
They're also pushing back theatrical release schedules at a time when the audience has just demonstrated they're very much still willing to go to the cinema if there are releases they want to see.
Another box office update, looks like both have legs as well
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
I hope the studios learn the right lesson from this, rather than being blinded by greed and learning the wrong lesson.
Oh who am I kidding.
VideoGameEnjoyer
Member
*Both movies are extremely well made with great directors and casts*
Studio execs: "Memes are the key to success!"
Rentahamster
Rodent Whores
It's Morbin' time!