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The Barbie movie, a sensation from the Barbenheimer internet universe, has commenced its cinematic journey on a rousing note, pulverizing numerous box office records during its opening weekend. This phenomenal success comes despite sharing its release day with another anticipated title, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer.
While conventional wisdom may have predicted a detrimental box office impact due to this simultaneous release, the reality unfolded differently, with an increased audience turnout likely driven by the viral intrigue surrounding both movies.
As the fervor continued to build ahead of the Margot Robbie's movie's July 21 release, the movie didn't disappoint, delivering a powerful box office performance right from the start.
A breakdown of Barbie's record-breaking debut
Barbie raked in an impressive estimated total of $155 million in its first three days of domestic release. Let's delve into the seven box office records that Barbie managed to shatter during its spectacular opening weekend.
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1) The reigning champion of 2023
The 2023 blockbuster, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, was dethroned by the latest Margot Robbie movie during its first weekend, with the latter surpassing Mario's opening figure of $146.3 million.
2) Shattering glass ceilings
With this movie, Greta Gerwig has surpassed Captain Marvel, a film co-directed by Anna Boden, thereby establishing a fresh benchmark for the highest opening weekend gross by a female director.
This accomplishment supersedes the previous record held by Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman, which secured $103.3 million during its debut weekend.
3) Originality triumphs
The movie has also set a new standard for a non-sequel, non-remake, and non-superhero movie, demonstrating that original content (inspired by a beloved fashion doll) can indeed triumph at the box office.
4) Stars shine brighter
For its leading stars, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the movie has set new personal records, outstripping the opening numbers of their previous highest grosser - Suicide Squad ($133.7 million) for Robbie and Blade Runner 2049 ($32.8 million) for Gosling.
5) Outperforming toy-based competitors
Outdoing its competitor, Barbie outstripped Toy Story 4's initial weekend earnings of $120.9 million, establishing a new pinnacle for the highest-grossing debut of a toy-derived movie.
6) Triumphing without IMAX
In an extraordinary display of commercial prowess, the Barbie movie, led by Margot Robbie, achieved an unrivaled record by grossing the highest opening weekend ever, all without the aid of IMAX screenings.
This achievement dethroned the prior record held by The Twilight Saga: New Moon, redefining what is possible for non-IMAX releases.
7) Fourth-highest grossing weekend
Thanks to the simultaneous release of Oppenheimer, which made $80.5 million, the overall domestic weekend collection reached an astounding $301.4 million, marking only the fourth instance in history when the total box office surpassed $300 million.
Including international earnings, Margot Robbie's latest global box office collection is $337 million. Oppenheimer added a hefty $93.7 million to its international tally, bringing its worldwide opening total to $174.2 million.
Charting the potential future of Barbie's box office journey
The staggering success of the first movie has sparked abundant speculation about a potential sequel. Given the impressive box office figures, it would seem a missed opportunity for Warner Bros. not to contemplate bringing back Gerwig, Robbie, and Gosling for another Barbie adventure.
The big question now is if Robbie's latest blockbuster has the momentum to become the second film in 2023 to shatter the $1 billion ceiling. While overtaking Super Mario Bros.' $1.35 billion might be challenging, Barbie faces little serious competition.
Upcoming films, such as Haunted Mansion, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and Blue Beetle, are unlikely to make significant dents in the Margot Robbie's latest movie's box office progress.
The movie enjoys the advantage of not being dependent on premium format screens like IMAX or Dolby. With most of these screens occupied by Oppenheimer, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 saw a significant drop in its second weekend.
Intriguingly, demographics data from Box Office Pro reveals that 65% of Margot Robbie's latest movie's audience comprised women, and 81% were below 35.
This suggests a significant turnout from younger female viewers, many of whom likely share a childhood connection with Barbie dolls, underpinning the movie's appeal and success.
The Barbie movie continues its theatrical run worldwide, basking in its remarkable debut success and setting new milestones.
