Hold on to your popcorn because “Barbenheimer” is smashing box office records like never before! In its second weekend, the dynamic duo of Barbie and Oppenheimer continued their relentless domination, leaving a trail of jaw-dropping numbers in their wake.
Last week’s combined gross of $244.5 million catapulted the total earnings for all films to a staggering $311.3 million, making it the fourth-highest-grossing weekend in North America.
Over the past three days alone, the two movies secured an impressive $139.2 million, soaring their ten-day domestic total to an awe-inspiring $525.5 million. Hollywood’s WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes seem to have taken a backseat, as the studios are reveling in their bountiful profits.
If we were to merge Barbie and Oppenheimer into one cinematic masterpiece, “Barbenheimer” would be the fifth biggest domestic opening of all time, with their combined earnings of $244.5 million just shy of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which raked in $248.0 million during its pre-Christmas launch in 2015. And while Avengers: Endgame still reigns as the box office behemoth with a jaw-dropping $621.3 million in its first ten days from April 26 to May 5, 2019, “Barbenheimer” is certainly nipping at its heels with a remarkable $525.5 million earned so far.
But the question on everyone’s lips is, will their spellbinding success last? Barbie cruised her little pink Corvette all the way to the #1 spot at the box office, enjoying a triumphant second weekend, pulling in a spectacular $93 million, with only a modest 43% drop from the previous week. With a current domestic tally of $351.4 million after just ten days, it’s destined to become one of the top-grossing films of the year.
Here’s a quick rundown of how Barbie stacks up against other high-grossing movies so far in 2023. The Super Mario Bros. Movie opened on April 5th and, after its second weekend, accumulated an impressive $92.3 million, making a total of $353.1 million in the first twelve days and reaching $574.1 million overall. As for Barbie, which opened on July 21st, it pulled in $93 million during its second weekend, bringing the ten-day total to $351.4 million, with the current overall earnings standing at $351.4 million. On June 2nd, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse earned $55.5 million in its second weekend, hitting a ten-day total of $225.2 million, with an overall figure of $377.4 million. Similarly, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 achieved $62.0 million during its second weekend on May 5th, totaling $214.7 million in ten days and $358.9 million overall. Lastly, The Little Mermaid, which premiered on May 26th, garnered $41.4 million in its second weekend, amassing $186.0 million in ten days and reaching a total of $296.6 million.
Barbie is really showing off its box office prowess, inching its way toward claiming the second-highest grossing spot of the year, just trailing behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie. With only a 43% drop this weekend, it’s proving to be a tough contender, even with the arrival of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem on Wednesday.
This glamorous diva is not bowing out anytime soon. Barbie is expected to shine brightly all the way through Labor Day and possibly even approach the grand totals set by The Super Mario Bros. movie when the dust settles. The box office battlefield is heating up, and these two flicks are locked in a thrilling race for the top.
Oppenheimer also proved its fortitude, securing the #2 spot at the box office with an impressive $46.2 million and a mere 44% decline from the previous week. Despite the challenge posed by Barbie and an R-rating limiting its audience, Christopher Nolan’s epic historical saga has conquered the hearts of audiences, amassing a commendable $174.1 million in ten days. It’s even set to become the top-grossing R-rated film of the year, dethroning the former champion, John Wick 4, with its $187.1 million domestic earnings. The ultimate prize, though, could be the title of the highest-grossing R-rated film ever, currently held by The Passion of the Christ at a jaw-dropping $370.8 million since 2004.
What’s the secret to these record-breaking triumphs? Long theatrical runs with steady performances week after week and both Barbie and Oppenheimer boast glowing reviews from critics and adoring fans, generating positive word-of-mouth that’s keeping ticket sales strong.
Amid this box office frenzy, Disney’s Haunted Mansion, checked in at #3 with $24.2 million in its opening weekend. The horror-comedy tells the story of a woman and her son who enlist the help of a motley crew of spiritual experts to rid their home of supernatural squatters and stars a stellar cast including Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jared Leto, and Danny DeVito.
The film still managed to pique audience interest, earning a promising 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, even though critics have largely panned it and given it a 42% rotten rating. It’s the second screen adaptation of Disney’s spooky theme park ride, following Eddie Murphy’s 2003 outing, which haunted Thanksgiving audiences.
In 2003, The Haunted Mansion made quite an entrance, starting its opening weekend with a decent $24.3 million. As time went on, it managed to rack up $75.8 million domestically and a whopping $182.3 million worldwide, all while working with a $90 million production budget. With an average ticket price of just $6.03 back then, approximately four eager moviegoers attended its thrilling debut. Fast forward to today, with ticket prices soaring to an average of $10.53, this year’s audience is estimated to be around 2.3 million, which is 42% fewer than the original. With “Barbenheimer” ruling the charts and Mutant Ninja Turtles lurking around the corner, it remains to be seen if Haunted Mansion can maintain its momentum.
Sound of Freedom took the #4 spot, with a $12.4 million gross and a 37% drop from the previous week. The film has amassed a remarkable $149 million since its debut on the 4th of July, defying the odds with a phenomenal 12X multiple on its $16 million production budget. Angel Studios is now eyeing an international release, adding even more potential to this unexpected success story.
Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One faced a slightly bumpier ride, coming in at #5 earning $10.7 million at the box office and suffering a 45% drop from the previous weekend. Though not quite matching its predecessor, the MI sequel has still earned an impressive $139.2 million in 19 days. It remains to be seen if Tom Cruise can reach that elusive $200 million milestone.
Amidst fierce competition, and with Barbie and Oppenheimer captivating audiences, the Australian Sundance gem, Talk to Me, claimed the #6 spot with a haul of just over $10 million. This astounding achievement surpassed all expectations, as A24’s low-budget entries typically don’t reach such heights. But A24 is no stranger to delivering genre-defying masterpieces, and with glowing reviews and a never-ending hunger for original horror flicks, it’s no wonder they struck gold once again.
Disney’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny has slipped down the box office top ten list from #5 to #7 in its 5th weekend in theaters, suffering a 40% drop in ticket sales and earning $4 million alongside Disney’s Elemental which slipped from #7 to #8 and earned $3.4 million at the box office after a 41% drop in ticket sales.
Sony’s Insidious: The Red Door has been in theaters for just 4 weeks and has already made its way down the box office top ten list to the #9 spot, earning $3.2 million for the weekend and $78 million during its entire run thus far.
The Indian romantic-comedy Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani took the #10 spot at the box office, charming its way into the hearts of moviegoers. The film is an original, non-franchise title which makes it stand out as a fresh and captivating story, winning over audiences without the need for a familiar franchise to lean on.
REELated:
The Top 10
1. Barbie (Warner Bros. Discovery) Week 2; Last weekend #1
$93,000,000 (-43%) in 4,337 (+94) theaters; PTA (per theater average): $21,443; Cumulative: $351,403,000
2. Oppenheimer (Universal) Week 2; Last weekend #2
$46,200,000 (-44%) in 3,647 (+37) theaters; PTA: $12,668; Cumulative: $174,060,000
3. Haunted Mansion (Disney) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 48; Est. budget: $150 million
$24,200,000 in 3,740 theaters; PTA: $6,471; Cumulative: $24,200,000
4. Sound of Freedom (Angel) Week 4; Last weekend #3
$12,409,000 (-37%) in 3,411 (+126) theaters); PTA: $3,638; Cumulative: $148,972,000
5. Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One (Paramount) Week 3; Last weekend #4
$10,725,000 (-45%) in 3,191 (-1,130) theaters; PTA: $3,361; Cumulative: $139,233,000
6. Talk to Me (A24) NEW – Cinemascore: B+; Metacritic: 76; Est. budget: $4.5 million
$10,029,000 in 2,340 theaters; PTA: $4,286; Cumulative: $10,029,000
7. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Disney) Week 5; Last weekend #5
$4,000,000 (-40%) in 2,165 (-720) theaters; PTA: $1,848; Cumulative: $167,084,000
8. Elemental (Disney) Week 7; Last weekend #7
$3,400,000 (-41%) in 2,105 (-615) theaters; PTA: $1,615; Cumulative: $144,984,000
9. Insidious: The Red Door (Sony) Week 4; Last weekend #6
$3,175,000 (-52%) in 1,914 (-640) theaters; PTA: $1,659; Cumulative: $78,082,000
10. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (Moviegoer) NEW
$1,574,000 in 360 theaters; PTA: $4,371; Cumulative: $1,574,000
This weekend, all the movies in theaters raked in a whopping $213.9 million domestically, a significant jump from the $99.8 million earned last year when DC League of Super-Pets opened with $23.0 million.
