‘Barbie’ rakes in $22.3M in early theatre screenings, ‘Oppenheimer’ collects $ 10.5M

A still from ‘Barbie’
| Photo Credit: AP

Barbie, the film based on the popular doll from Mattel Inc., took in a strong $22.3 million in ticket sales from preview screenings in theatres. The total puts it ahead of other big films released recently, including Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which brought in $17.5 million in May, and last year’s Top Gun: Maverick with $19.3 million. That film was the highest-grossing domestic release in 2022.

The Barbie numbers include Thursday night previews and Barbie Blowout Party screenings on Wednesday, where guests who dressed in pink got free cotton candy and other prizes. Screenings were held at more than 3,400 locations, Warner Bros. said Friday in an email. The film officially opens Friday.

The picture is shaping up to be one of the year’s biggest, with researcher Boxoffice Pro projecting an opening weekend of about $158 million. That would top The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which had the year’s largest debut so far when it came out in April.

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The weekend is already the most talked about in cinemas this year thanks to the simultaneous release of Universal Pictures’ Oppenheimer, a biography of the inventor of the atomic bomb. The National Association of Theatre Owners is projecting that more than 200,000 people will see both films on the same day, a phenomenon called “Barbenheimer” that’s been circulating widely on social media.

Oppenheimer brought in $10.5 million in Thursday evening previews, Universal said. Boxoffice Pro is forecasting about $64.7 million for the weekend.