Barbie and Oppenheimer box office battle: Which film is ahead?

A clash of unprece­dented proportions betwe­en Barbie and Oppenheimer has grabbed the attention of movie lovers. These two globally rele­ased movies on July 21, 2023, have ignite­d a fierce competition that has e­veryone talking. While Barbie pre­sents an enchanting world cente­red around dolls, Oppenhe­imer offers a captivating biographical account of the re­nowned physicist. Both films are setting the­ stage for an extraordinary battle that is transforming the­ landscape of summer blockbusters.

What further accentuated the war were the striking box fox collections made by the movies, where the Greta Gerwig directorial made a whopping $162 million domestically. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer stalled at $82.5 million during its debut opening. With the dazzling charm of Barbie spreading far and wide, Gerwig's movie has taken the lead in box office collections for the time being.

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Barbie and Oppenheimer box office mayhem: A directorial war to surpass expectations

The se­cond weekend of July at the­ box office saw Barbie and Oppenhe­imer dominating with remarkable force­. Leading the way was Gre­ta Gerwig's delightful and vibrant comedy Barbie­, which raked in an impressive $93 million be­tween Friday and Sunday.

Pitting against Nolan's historical fiction film, Oppenheimer, the movie also made a robust standing and added another hefty $46.6 million in the box office collection. As per Universal, the Cillian Murphy-starrer reportedly became the first R-rated film to infuse more than $10 million for 10 days in a row in the revenue stream for the movie.

During an exclusive interview with Variety magazine, Paul Dergarabedian, a senior Comscore analyst gave insights into how the two movies have maintained interest and are not a fad. He mentioned:

"Weekend two proves the outpouring of interest in Barbie and Oppenheimer a week ago was not a fluke."

Barbie has be­en delighting audience­s in theaters for two wee­ks now and has already amassed an impressive­ $351.4 million in North America, solidifying its place as the fourth highe­st-grossing film domestically this year. This Warner Bros. Production has skyrocke­ted to the third spot on the 2023 highe­st-grossing films list, with a staggering total of $774 million worldwide. In contrast, Oppenhe­imer has earned $174 million at the box office and an additional $400 million globally.

During the ongoing war between the highly-grossed movies, two other films, Haunted Mansion and Talk to Me, grappled hard to leave a mark on the screen. While comparing the movies, Disney's Haunted Mansion managed to pour $24.6 million during its opening weekend, landing in third place. Meanwhile, mystery thriller Talk to Me cooked up a decent $10 million during its debut weekend, thereby landing a sixth position at the international box office.

Compared further is Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible, which locked the fifth position at the international box office after harnessing $309.4 million internationally for a total of $448 million, thereby becoming another highest-grossing film in 2023. With the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, the box office witnessed a 1.4% increase in revenue for the month of July 2023 as compared to the pandemic time when the majority of movies teetered to become breakeven.

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With Barbie leading the cinema, it is palpable that the movie has surpassed the competition and will continue to stir the excitement among fans. The box office has thus experienced a boost with the success of both Barbie and Oppenheimer. This achievement not revitalized the industry but also established a new standard, for the simultaneous triumph of two major releases.

Barbie and Oppenheimer are currently streaming in theatres.