I recently got into a, let’s say, spirited debate with friends about the best way to watch Barbie and Oppenheimer, which infamously open on the same day. Do you see Barbie first then Tom Cruise-run to a screening of Oppenheimer? Or the other way around? Or do you see one on Thursday and the other on Friday?
If you’re going to double feature it, I believe it should go Oppenheimer then Barbie; you want the dessert after the meal. Also, I don’t want to leave the theater feeling bummed out. Let me live off the vibes of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling singing “Closer to Fine” for as long as possible, thank you.
Of course, the decision is yours. But in terms of the bigger opening weekend at the box office, Barbie is in the lead. “Preliminary tracking indicates Barbie will win the July 21-23 weekend ahead of Oppenheimer,” according to the Hollywood Reporter, with early estimates at $45-$55 million for Barbie and $30-$35 million for Oppenheimer. It’s not unexpected: Barbie is rated PG-13 and appeals to a wider audience, while Oppenheimer has an R rating and a three-hour runtime. Neither film will be a bomb (but one’s about a bomb).
For Oppenheimer — a three-hour drama targeting adults — having legs could prove far more important than its opening weekend haul. Yet there is no denying that filmmakers care deeply about a film’s theatrical performance and topping the chart in its first weekend. Nolan has come in No. 2 before; in 2014, Interstellar opened behind Disney’s Big Hero 6, on its way to $701.7 million globally.
The wild card in all this is Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (out July 12th) making $100 million in its second weekend, toppling both Barbie and Oppenheimer. It won’t happen, because that’s almost never occurred before, but it would be very funny if it did happen.
(Via the Hollywood Reporter)