Barbie haters thought its “bonkers” opening weekend would be a blip, but she can’t be stopped.
In its second weekend, Greta Gerwig’s film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is poised to have one of the best second-weekend showings ever in North America. Barbie has earned over $95 million at the box office this weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter, making for a cumulative domestic earning of $350 million so far.
How ‘Barbie’ became the American monoculture of the moment
Barbie‘s frenemy Oppenheimer didn’t do so shabby either. Over the July 29-30 weekend, the Barbenheimer effect worked wonders for Christopher Nolan’s biopic about the father of the atomic bomb, pulling in $46 million. After Deadpool 2, that’s the strongest second weekend ever for an R-rated film.
Based on box office norms, both Barbie and Oppenheimer had minor declines on their second weekend. This proves movie-goers’ enduring interest in the ridiculously-hyped story about the Mattel doll come to life and whatever epic creations Nolan dreams up — even both in a double feature. As of Jul. 21, 60,000 AMC Stubs members bought tickets for both films on the same day, according to AMC CEO Adam Aron.
Unfortunately for Disney, the Barbenheimer effect didn’t have any love for Haunted Mansion. The film based on the Disneyland ride underperformed, bringing in a predicted $30 million or less. So there you have it, doll-based franchises and atomic bomb origin stories are in, but haunted houses are out.