Greta Gerwig’s (39) “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s (52) “Oppenheimer” have both had a memorable theatrical release in North America, as “Variety” reports. But which blockbuster was more successful?
“Barbie” won the race with Margot Robbie (33) and Ryan Gosling (42). The comedy already grossed the highest pre-sales of the year in North America: $22.2 million (about 19.9 million euros).
With another $48.2 million on Friday, the film grossed $70.5 million in total. That tops the pink flick “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” which reached $51.8 million over its first weekend in June.
Barbie also has a good chance of making the biggest three-day debut of the year, dethroning The Super Mario Bros. Movie. And Gerwig’s film could break another record: the highest box office result on the first weekend of a film with a female director.
“Captain Marvel” has held this title since 2019, directed by Anna Boden (43) and Ryan Fleck (46). Gerwig would have to bring in more than 153 million dollars (about 137.4 million euros) for it. She should easily reach the record for a film in which only one woman was in the director’s chair after this weekend: Patty Jenkins’ (51) “Wonder Woman” currently holds it with 103 million dollars (about 92.5 million euros).
Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” also impressed on the first cinema weekend. The film, starring Cillian Murphy (47), will be Nolan’s third biggest film start after The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises.
The biopic grossed $33 million on opening day, including Thursday previews. With that, he’s well on his way to one of the best first-weekend box office grosses of all time for an age-rated film. He would be in a row with films like “Deadpool”, “It” or “Joker”.
