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Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer and Margot Robbie as Barbie
Julian De Rosa | AFP | Stuart C Wilson | Getty Images Getty Images
Barbenheimer’s film got off to an exciting start at the domestic box office.
Half of the viral internet meme, “Barbie,” raked in $22.3 million in Thursday night preview tickets, the most of any movie released so far in 2023 — surpassing the $17.5 million first-night haul of Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.
Meanwhile, the R-rated, three-hour “Oppenheimer” brought in $10.5 million from Thursday showings. This goes along with big releases like 2017’s “Wonder Woman” and “The Little Mermaid.”
As the weekend approaches, Warner Bros. Barbie is expected to gross over $140 million, if not more, during its first three days in theaters. Meanwhile, Universal’s “Oppenheimer” appears destined to snag at least $50 million, and some box office analysts predict it could top $60 million.
Together, the two films could bring in $200 million on their opening frame. With the additional ticket sales of “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” and “Sound of Freedom,” it could be the highest-grossing weekend of the year yet.
This thriller is in high demand at the domestic box office after a string of big-budget films released recently, such as “The Flash” and “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” fell short of expectations.
Major movie chains have indicated strong ticket sales for both films this weekend and additional screenings have been added to accommodate demand.
About 40,000 members of the AMC Theater loyalty program purchased tickets to see Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day, and the National Association of Theater Owners projected that more than 200,000 moviegoers would attend same-day viewings of the two films.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.
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