Barbie & Oppenheimer’s Opening Weekend: Results Are In
After a massive opening weekend at the box office for both Barbie and Oppenheimer, our fearless hosts Chris Moore, Dennis De Nobile, and Katie Marpe have come together for a special episode to recap the results and revisit the predictions they made in OMHP's last episode.
As Marpe predicted, Barbie won the weekend, collecting a whopping 162 million dollars domestically. A triumph for any movie, this also marks the most money ever grossed by a film on opening weekend by a female director (cue applause for the great Greta Gerwig).
"People showed up…this was a weekend theaters needed. America needed to see people were willing to get back out there and make an event out of movies [again]."
–Dennis De Nobile
Over just three days, Barbie and Oppenheimer made a staggering 245 million dollars in the US market.
Hope for the Industry
In the last episode, Moore emphasized how important this weekend would be to the film industry, helping to gauge whether theater releases could still be big events in a world ruled by subscription-based streaming conglomerates.
The answer is yes, they absolutely can.
"I've talked a lot about how I don't think movies can create events anymore…I was 100% wrong, [Barbie] even sucked me in…I got so excited, partly because I loved the movie but also because movies were back in some way, shape, or form."
–Chris Moore
Not only did Barbie and Oppenheimer draw in record-breaking numbers, but the routine of going to the theater last weekend was an event, bringing to mind past fabled Harry Potter releases. People dressed up (primarily for Barbie, with some sporting Barbenheimer-themed get up) and made their way to double headers all weekend.
Barbie's Massive Success: Is Its Popularity Replicable?
According to Moore, Oppenheimer likely owes some of its big numbers to its pairing with Barbie for theater release, believing that many people who were in it for Barbie wouldn't have seen Oppenheimer if it hadn't been part of Barbie's opening weekend extravaganza.
"I hope it excites people to do this again. I just don't know if other movies can generate this kind of attention. Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie deserve a lot of credit. They did an unbelievable job and hit a bullseye that is really, really small."
–Chris Moore
Despite being a positive sign for the future of theaters and movie releases, Moore thinks it's important to note that not just any movie could do what Barbie did. It takes a special film to hit the right level of cultural relevance and great storytelling, particularly in a blockbuster hit.
Thoughts on Barbie
While Barbie has become an instant hit, its most impactful moments are up for debate.
At one point in the film, America Ferrera’s character makes a speech about how impossible it is to be a woman. Perhaps the most powerful notion she imparts is that women can’t ever get it right. For many women, this speech hit home, calling out exactly what it feels like to be a woman in the world today, fighting against double standards so entrenched in society that they are nearly invisible.
While Marpe calls attention to how some reviews have called the speech heavy-handed, she points out that, considering this blockbuster's wide demographic, it's no wonder opinions on its approach to feminism differ. The hosts conclude that the sheer number of people America Ferrera's speech will reach is what makes it a big deal. Maybe we all need a mainstream dose of Feminism 101.
"Throughout the whole [Barbie] movie, the humor and the jokes they made were the most powerful to me."
–Katie Marpe
Marpe herself was most impacted by Gerwig's use of humor to tackle the experience of being a woman. One of the most poignant and clever examples of this humor was Barbie and Ken's arrival at Venice Beach. Ken says, as they're skating along, "I feel what can only be described as admired, but not ogled, and there's no undertone of violence." Barbie responds, perplexed and uneasy, "Mine very much has an undertone of violence."
In this moment, Gerwig’s keen insight and sharp humor brought a shared female experience to the forefront. This scene is a powerful and upsetting acknowledgment of the fear and discomfort most female-presenting people experience daily.
"This is a female-focused movie geared towards a female audience, and it won at the box office, which is so cool and rare. It's a movie made for women that men can also enjoy. Most movies are (arguably) made for men, but women also enjoy them."
–Katie Marpe
Since Barbie and Oppenheimer's screenplays have both adaptive and original aspects, it'll be interesting to see which category they are placed in for next year's Oscars. We might see Barbie come out on top yet again, scooping up all the accolades and breaking even more records.
And with that, we adjourn. Until next time!
Listen to the entire episode here: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, or iHeartRadio.
