Bombs and bombshells: Barbenheimer takes the box office by storm

In a major spectacle for moviegoers worldwide, the opening of Barbie and Oppenheimer – aka Barbenheimer – officially blew up the box office last weekend.

The duo helped deliver $31.4 million in ticket sales – the biggest weekend box office result since Avengers: Endgame released in 2019.

The highly anticipated Barbie, directed and produced by Greta Gerwig and starring Australia’s own Margot Robbie, was the undeniable star, delivering over 1 million admissions from Thursday to Sunday with 66% of the total audience within the P14-39 demographic.

This feat saw the film deliver $21.5 million at the box office which is the highest opening result of the year and the biggest since Spiderman: No Way Home was released in 2021. The title has also been crowned the biggest opening weekend for a comedy film, beating out the 12-year-old record set by The Hangover: Part II.

Christopher Nolan’s historical drama Oppenheimer delivered 454,000 admits over the weekend, with 78% of the total audience falling into the P14-39 demographic. Oppenheimer pulled $9.4 million at the box office which makes it Nolan’s biggest non-sequel opening, and the second-biggest opening for a drama film in Australia.

Guy Burbidge, managing director of Val Morgan Cinema said “Barbenheimer has been the biggest cultural moment of 2023. It proves yet again that Cinema has the power to create iconic moments that embed into our culture and resonate for generations. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer are setting records locally and globally, we expect their total runs to be nothing short of exceptional.”

Beyond the box office triumph, both films have scored themselves overwhelmingly positive reviews, and strong scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with Barbie pulling 90% and Oppenheimer 94% for both critics and audience.

The slate of blockbuster releases is set to explode in the coming months, bringing even more cultural moments. Q4 will witness the arrivals of Dune: Part Two, The Marvels, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Wonka, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.