After months of memes and excitement, the simultaneous release of Barbie and Oppenheimer in theaters has finally arrived. And both movies are already out to a great start. Barbie’s preview screenings on Thursday night netted it an impressive $22.3 million, while Oppenheimer’s theatrical run started with $10.5 million on Thursday night.
Barbie’s number places it among blockbuster fair including Captain Marvel — which, it should be noted is a pre-pandemic movie, meaning it came out in a slightly healthier box office environment. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer came in with much less than Barbie, but $10.5 million is particularly impressive for a R-rated drama, particularly one that’s three hours long.
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Both movies are also shaping up for excellent weekends overall, with Barbie eyeing a projected total over $150 million, which would make it the biggest opening of the year so far. Oppenheimer’s projected total stands around $75 million, which would also be a strong total for the biopic.
The Barbie-versus-Oppenheimer debate started out as a fierce rivalry when the release dates were first announced. As the movies got closer, however, the conversation started to shift into realizing that the movies made for a beautiful pairing. Now that they’re both in theaters, it seems the spirit of cooperation continues. According to the latest numbers from AMC Theatres, over 40,000 people had advanced tickets to see both movies as a double feature, and that number is sure to have grown since both were released.
Beyond their initial success, both Barbie and Oppenheimer will look to sustain their impressive early success into the next few weeks and months. Oppenheimer in particular already seems to be doing this well with sold-out showings of its special 70mm IMAX format all the way into mid-August at some theaters.