Barbie expected to earn more than double Oppenheimer in opening weekend

Barbie is set to have an opening weekend that might double that of rival film Oppenheimer, if the latest estimates are to be believed.

It’s genuinely very strange that the two films have been pitted against one another as if there is some sort of genuine competition, given that they couldn’t really be any more different.

One is a multicoloured celebration of a classic toy creation, the other about the brilliant minds who turned their expertise to creating one of the most horrific and dangerous things that humanity has ever considered.

Both have celebrated directors and a cavalcade of stars on board for the ride, but in terms of subject matter and style, it’s like they are from different worlds, because – to a large extent – they are.

However, with the battle being dubbed ‘Barbenheimer’, the interest in how both films get on – specifically against one another – is high.

Warner Bros.

The estimates suggest that Barbie is set to land a bumper box office weekend, thanks to an incredibly high-budget marketing campaign, as well as the mass-appeal of the movie.

Some estimates suggest that it might rake in between $95 million and $110 million across 4,200 cinemas in North America this weekend.

Those estimates are massive, and Warner Bros. is suggesting maybe more like $75 million for the opening weekend, but – still – it’s a lot of cash.

Of course, a cerebral, occasionally black and white historical epic is never going to be able to live up to that level of hype, but that doesn’t mean Oppenheimer is going to be a flop.

Not by any stretch of the imagination.

Christopher Nolan’s movie, starring Cillian Murphy in the title role, alongside Florence Pugh, Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., and Casey Affleck – amongst others – is set to bring in around $50 million from about 3,600 cinemas across North America.

They’re not helped by the fact that the movie is three hours long, as opposed to two hours for Barbie, so there can be less screenings per day.

Still, they’re expecting it to rake in the cash, and continue to be successful for a good while afterwards.

Universal

If things go to their highest estimates, Barbie would bring in almost the entire budget – including payment for a list of stars too long to name – in just one weekend.

Nolan’s flick cost less than that, so would also be recouping a significant chunk of the budget almost straight away.

Either way, it’s set to be a banner weekend for cinemas, with both of those juggernauts bringing in the crowds, as well as last week’s top box office draw Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.

It’s hard to begrudge the movie theaters a bit of success after the past few years, though.