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The blockbuster “Barbie” earned an estimated $93 million in North American theaters this weekend, continuing its “rolling down a hill of cash,” according to industry observer Exhibitor Relations.
When combined with Universal’s dark biopic “Oppenheimer,” which grossed a whopping $46.2 million in its own second weekend, the two films delivered a much-needed lift to “Barbenheimer” during a mediocre Hollywood summer.
“July would have been a lukewarm month, but then ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ arrived, moviegoing exploded, and within one week, July caught up to its pre-pandemic average,” said analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research.
“Barbie” had the greatest opening weekend of the year last weekend, with $80.5 million, demonstrating surprising appeal for a film about a little plastic doll living in a pristine pink world.
The Greta Gerwig picture, starring Margot Robbie as “Barbie” and Ryan Gosling as “Ken,” has already grossed $351.4 million in North American ticket sales and $423 million internationally, putting it on course to become the next billion-dollar film.
According to analyst Paul Dergarabedian, “Oppenheimer” likewise demonstrated unusual power for a historical drama, with its second-weekend result — like that of “Barbie” — among the finest in box office history. The story of America’s atomic bomb’s development has now made $174.1 million domestically and $226 million internationally.
At $24.2 million, a new Disney title, “Haunted Mansion,” came in third place for the weekend. According to Variety, Disney paid $150 million to develop the kid-friendly film, so it has a long way to go before it becomes profitable. LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, and Owen Wilson feature in the film.
The independent “Sound of Freedom,” from Santa Fe Films and Angel Studios, took fourth place with $12.4 million. The low-budget action thriller has aroused debate, with opponents claiming that its plot involving child sex trafficking fits into Qanon conspiracy theories.
In fifth place was Paramount’s “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.” This latest installment in the iconic Tom Cruise franchise earned $10.7 million, putting all of the top five films in the double digits.
Rounding out the top 10 were:
“Talk to Me” ($10 million)
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” ($4 million)
“Elemental” ($3.4 million)
“Insidious: The Red Door” ($3.2 million)
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ($1.4 million)
