Come on, Barbie, let’s go make (more) box office history.
Greta Gerwig’s plastic, fantastic “Barbie” added $26 million on Monday, resulting in the best Monday gross in Warner Bros. history. The prior studio record was held by (wait for it) Christopher Nolan’s 2008’s superhero epic “The Dark Knight,” which earned $24.6 million (not adjusted for inflation).
Nolan, of course, has been intertwined with “Barbie” because his latest film, the R-rated historical drama “Oppenheimer,” shares a release date with the very pink blockbuster. The contrast between the two movies, which are backed by auteur directors and feature sprawling, A-list casts, has fueled the phenomenon known as “Barbenheimer.”
“Oppenheimer,” too, enjoyed a great turnout on Monday, picking up $12.6 million and bringing its domestic tally to $95 million. The movie, starring Cillian Murphy as the theoretical physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb that was used to end World War II, will hit $100 million by Tuesday. That’s remarkably quick for a three-hour-long period piece that consists mostly of scientists and politicians talking in rooms. It speaks to the power of Nolan as a brand name, no matter the genre.
“Barbie” also cracked the top 15 Mondays of all time without the help of a holiday weekend. The PG-13 fantasy comedy, starring Margot Robbie as the famous doll, has generated $188 million to date and will immediately cross the $200 million mark. “Barbie” has amassed $194.3 million at the international box office, bringing its global total to $382 million.
“Barbie” holds the distinction as the biggest opening weekend of the year with $162 million, besting “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($146 million). It also marks the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman, overtaking Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s 2019 blockbuster “Captain Marvel” ($153 million).