The 'Barbie' bonanza continues at the box office, 'Oppenheimer' holds the No. 2 spot

NEW YORK -

A week later, the "Barbenheimer" boom has not abated.

Seven days after Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" conspired to set box office records, the two films held unusually strongly in theaters. "Barbie" took in a massive US$93 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. "Oppenheimer" stayed in second with a robust US$46.2 million. Sales for the two movies dipped 43 per cent and 44 per cent, respectably -- well shy of the usual week-two drops.

• In Pictures: 'Barbie' movie premiere in London

"Barbenheimer" has proven to be not a one-weekend phenomenon but an ongoing box-office bonanza. The two movies combined have already surpassed US$1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore, call it "a touchstone moment for movies, moviegoers and movie theatres."

"Having two movies from rival studios linked in this way and both boosting each other's fortunes -- both box-office wise and it terms of their profile -- I don't know if there's a comp for this in the annals of box-office history," said Dergarabedian. "There's really no comparison for this."

Following its year-best US$162 million opening, the pink-infused pop sensation of "Barbie" saw remarkably sustained business through the week and into the weekend. The film outpaced Nolan's "The Dark Knight" to have the best first 11 days in theaters of any Warner Bros. release ever.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

"Barbie" has rapidly accumulated US$351.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, a rate that will soon make it the biggest box-office hit of the summer. Every day it's played, "Barbie" has made at least US$20 million.

And the "Barbie" effect isn't just in North America. The film made US$122.2 million internationally over the weekend. Its global tally has reached US$775 million. It's the kind of business that astounds even veteran studio executives.

"That's a crazy number," said Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. "There's just a built-in audience that wants to be part of the zeitgeist of the moment. Wherever you go, people are wearing pink. Pink is taking over the world."

Amid the frenzy, "Barbie" is already attracting a lot of repeat moviegoers. Goldstein estimates that 12 per cent of sales are people going back with friends or family to see it again.

For a movie industry that has been trying to regain its pre-pandemic footing -- and that now finds itself largely shuttered due to actors and screenwriters strikes -- the sensations of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" have showed what's possible when everything lines up just right.

"Post-pandemic, there's no ceiling and there's no floor," Goldstein said. "The movies that miss really miss big time, and the movies that work really work big time."

• 'Barbie' takes the box office crown and 'Oppenheimer' soars in a historic weekend

Universal Pictures' "Oppenheimer," meanwhile, is performing more like a superhero movie than a three-hour film about scientists talking.

Nolan's drama starring Cillian Murphy as atomic bomb physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer has accrued US$174.1 million domestically thus far. With an additional US$72.4 million in international cinemas, "Oppenheimer" has already surpassed US$400 million globally.

Showings in IMAX have typically been sold out. "Oppenheimer" has made US$80 million worldwide on IMAX. The large-format exhibitor said Sunday that it will extend the film's run through Aug. 13.

The week's top new release, Walt Disney Co.'s "Haunted Mansion," an adaptation of the Disney theme park attraction, was easily overshadowed by the "Barbenheimer" blitz. The film, which cost about US$150 million, debuted with US$24 million domestically and US$9 million in overseas sales. "Haunted Mansion," directed by Justin Simien ("Dear White People," "Bad Hair") and starring an ensemble of LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Rosario Dawson, struggled to overcome mediocre reviews.

"Talk to Me," the A24 supernatural horror film, fared better. It debuted with US$10 million. The film, directed by Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou and starring Sophie Wilde, was a midnight premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received terrific reviews from critics (95 per cent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It was made for a modest US$4.5 million.

While theaters being flush with moviegoers has been a huge boon to the film industry, it's been tougher sledding for Tom Cruise, the so-called savior of the movies last summer with "Top Gun: Maverick." "Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I," which debuted the week before the arrival of "Barbenheimer," grossed US$10.7 million in its third weekend. The film starring Cruise and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, has grossed US$139.2 million domestically and US$309.3 million oveseas.

Instead, the sleeper hit "Sound of Freedom" has been the best performing non-"Barbenheimer" release in theatres. The Angel Studios' release, which is counting crowdfunding pay-it-forward sales in its box office totals, made US$12.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its haul thus far to nearly US$150 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. "Barbie," US$93 million.
2. "Opppenheimer," US$46.2 million.
3. "Haunted Mansion," US$24.2 million.
4. "Sound of Freedom," US$12.4 million.
5. "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One," US$10.7 million.
6. "Talk to Me," US$10 million.
7. "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," US$4 million.
8. "Elemental," US$3.4 million.
9. "Insidious: The Red Door," US$3.2 million.
10. "Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani," US$1.6 million.