Barbie vs Oppenheimer at Box Office: Who won at the preview and what else now?
Warner Bros has officially declared that Barbie has achieved the best previews of the entire year, grossing $22.3 million, surpassing Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3's $17.5 million. This success comes as a welcome relief for Warner Bros after the stumble of The Flash last month.
Meanwhile, Universal reports that Oppenheimer earned $10.5 million from 3,150 theaters in its previews. Barbie's impressive earnings include $1.1 million from Wednesday previews at 500 locations. Even if we exclude this amount, the $21.2 million earned on Thursday remains the highest of 2023.
In total, Thursday previews were screened at 3,400 locations. Moving to Oppenheimer, its preview gross falls within the range of superhero films and blockbusters like It Chapter Two, which enjoyed a $91 million opening weekend. The film's preview success, however, does not guarantee that it will surpass that threshold, with current comparisons pointing to movies like John Wick: Chapter Four.
Despite being an adult drama, Oppenheimer saw strong turnout from the 18-34 age group, making up 66% of the audience. Meanwhile, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which was last week's champion, has accumulated an estimated $99.2 million at 4,327 theaters over nine days. It will retain some premium large-format screens but yield the IMAX screens to Oppenheimer for the next three weeks.
The success of the film internationally will be critical as it carries a substantial budget similar to Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Lastly, the much-anticipated box office battle between Warner Bros' Barbie and Universal's Oppenheimer has generated an impressive buzz, with both films receiving critical acclaim and strong presales. Analysts predict a successful
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