Summary
- Barbie and Oppenheimer exceeded expectations at the box office, attracting large audiences and dominating the weekend.
- The success of Barbie was expected due to its broader appeal and iconic IP, while Oppenheimer’s biopic genre limited its reach.
- The true box office battle of 2023 was between Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, with both films capitalizing on nostalgia and generating significant revenue.
Barbie and Oppenheimer provided the biggest box office for 2023 and also since pre-pandemic. Audiences have flocked to the theaters to see one or both of these movies. Memes went viral about what TV character wanted a ticket to Barbie, Oppenheimer or both. While the hype around these two movies was vast, no one could have predicted how well both performed in cinemas.
Most big box office weekends are dominated by one movie, but Barbie and Oppenheimer shared the success of the weekend of July 21. For example, Avengers: Endgame made up 89 percent of the box office opening weekend, bringing in $357 million of the $402 million total (via The New York Times). And, of course, Avengers is a Marvel film and part of a franchise, whereas both Barbie and Oppenheimer are original movies. The box office weekend that’s close to Barbenheimer was 2015, with Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening to 79 percent of the total box office of $113 million, which was also a big IP.
Oppenheimer Was Never Going To Beat Barbie’s Box Office
While Barbie is an original movie, it does carry the IP of Barbie. It has a broader appeal than Oppenheimer as well. Both have all-star casts, but biopics have a small range of appeal, so Barbie was always going to win the box office. In addition, Oppenheimer‘s three-hour run time is a lot to ask for an original film compared to Barbie’s two-hour run time. Many people may wait until Oppenheimer is streaming to watch it, but more people wanted the cinema experience for Barbie.
Barbie Vs. Mario Was Always 2023’s True Box Office War
While it seemed like the box office war was between Oppenheimer and Barbie because they were being released the same weekend, the true battle was between Barbie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Both of these films are original but have the IP to draw the crowds. Both of them are also nostalgic for all the people who grew up with Barbie dolls and Super Mario Bros. games. They are also still popular today, so the films attracted multiple generations.
As of writing, the Mario movie has made $1.35 billion (via Box Office Mojo), and Barbie has made $1.2 billion globally (via Box Office Mojo). Mario was released in April, so it had a head start, but it’s very likely that Barbie could surpass Mario. Barbie did have a bigger opening weekend, though, bringing in $162 million domestically compared to $146 million. It’s pretty close between these two nosologic movies. Only time will tell who will be the winner of the 2023 box office.
Why 2023’s Box Office War Is (Probably) Already Over
There are quite a few more movies coming out this year, and some have the potential of joining the 2023 box office war: The Marvels, Dune 2, Aquaman 2, and Wonka. They are superheroes and or sequels and remakes. These are typically safe bets for studios. But Oppenheimer and Barbie definitely proved that audiences want original content, not just more of the same. While Blue Beetle knocked Barbie from the number one spot, it only made $25 million domestically on opening weekend (via Box Office Mojo). That’s not great for a superhero movie.
These upcoming movies could fall into the same pitfall as Blue Beetle, but even if they have good opening weekends, it will be hard to compete with the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Barbie. Many of these movies are highly anticipated, but not to the level of Barbie. It’s just more of the same with these films.
Wonka could bring some nostalgia because of the 1971 film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Kids who grew up watching this movie will be interested in seeing the latest rendition. It’s also a great film for the holiday, but with being released Dec. 15, it has no time to reach the levels of the Mario movie or Barbie.
Aquaman 2 will also be released in December, and The Marvels and Dune 2 will be released in November, so none of these films have the time to catch up. It’s also unlikely any of them will have a big enough weekend to reach the same levels of success. Mario Bros. and Barbie brought something fresh to the theater that none of these films can compete with.
Sources: The New York Times, Box Office Mojo 1, 2, 3