Barbie has been the glimmer of hope that Warner Bros. desperately needed among several DC superhero-themed theatrical flops.
This year’s box office has just made history in an extraordinary way. As Hollywood juggles labor disputes over streaming residuals, Barbie and Oppenheimer have stormed the theatres, grossing a staggering $511M globally, collectively.
According to a report by Deadline, the weekend turnout hit a whopping $301.6M, marking only the fourth time the domestic box office has climbed over the $300M mark. That’s insane.
Warner Bros.’ Barbie raked in an astonishing $155M domestically and an additional $182M internationally. Meanwhile, Universal’s Oppenheimer, a Christopher Nolan drama, made a cool $80.5M at home and a further $93.7M overseas.
Barbie box office records
But let’s focus on Barbie for a second.
Barbie scored the biggest domestic opening of 2023 to date, kicking Super Mario Bros.’ $146.4M to second place. It also set the record for the largest advance sales ever for Warner Bros. with an impressive $49.5M. Barbie also earned the title for the largest domestic opening for a female-directed film, and the second-highest global start for a woman filmmaker, outdoing Captain Marvel. For director Greta Gerwig and actors Margot Robbie (Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (Ken), this was the largest opening they’ve ever had.
It was also the largest opening weekend for a movie based on a toy, ever. Sorry, Transformers.
Warner Bros. Discovery recently found themselves in a challenging spot with their DC Extended Universe films like Black Adam, Shazam! Fury of the Gods, and The Flash failing to meet their profit goals at the box office. These unfortunate and high-profile flops, which significantly underperformed despite their good storylines (for the most part) and excellent cast, plunged the studio into a disappointing run.
However, the unexpected success with Barbie broke this losing streak. The film’s impressive $155M domestic opening breathed fresh life into the studio’s box office performance.
Barbie demonstrated that success could lie outside superhero narratives, which only stresses the ongoing superhero fatigue among fans and viewers, paving a new direction for the studio. Its remarkable achievement not only served as a much-needed financial lift but also provided a blueprint for future endeavors, proving that engaging storylines and fresh perspectives can indeed win audience hearts and reignite box office magic.
Despite the high-stakes drama unfolding off-screen in Hollywood, these two films serve as a reminder to us all of the magic of cinema and the value of a good story well told. Whether you’re a fan of plastic dolls living in a plastic world or intense stories about scientific geniuses, there’s no denying that Barbie and Oppenheimer have taken the box office by storm and proven more than superheroes can dominate the box office.
We just love to see it.