‘Barbie’ beats box-office record held by ‘The Dark Knight’ for 15 years
Barbie has officially surpassed the long-standing box office record previously held for 15 years. Greta Gerwig’s highly acclaimed adaptation of the famed Mattel toy franchise triumphed at the box office on Monday, scoring a record-breaking gross of $26 million.
This success coincided with the release of Nolan’s latest film Oppenheimer. Both movies, premiering on July 21st, benefited from a conjoint publicity wave dubbed as the Barbenheimer. This synchronised release strategy has seemingly paid off in a big way for both films.
Barbie’s Monday earnings now stand as the highest ever Monday gross for a film released by Warner Bros. Interestingly, the movie that previously held the record was a Nolan film – his 2008 Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, which made $24.6m, unadjusted for inflation.
Barbie has already proven to be a massive financial success for Warner Bros, generating $162m domestically and a staggering $337m worldwide over its opening weekend – unsurprising, considering its gargantuan marketing budget. These numbers suggest the biggest opening weekend of the year, surpassing even the wildly popular children’s animation The Super Mario Bros Movie.
In comparison, Nolan’s Oppenheimer garnered $80.5m in the US and $174.2m globally over its opening weekend, securing its place as a commercial hit despite not quite achieving Barbie’s heights.
The Barbenheimer phenomena have benefited both films in terms of ticket sales, with Oppenheimer reportedly gaining some viewers from sold-out Barbie screenings. Both films significantly outperformed the recent Tom Cruise blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.
Celebrities, including Cruise himself, have weighed in on the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon, categorically applauding it as an excellent moment for cinema, particularly post-Covid. Even Quentin Tarantino has been spotted buying tickets for both films on the same day, opting for a feel-good serving of Barbie following an earlier Oppenheimer screening.
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