Barbenheimer Box Office First Weekend Report: Barbie and Oppenheimer break records as non-franchise Hollywood films in India

The highly-anticipated films Barbie and Oppenheimer both premiered in theatres across India on July 21, 2023, and are currently smashing records at the box office there and around the world. Both films have been met with rave reviews and enthusiastic audiences from coast to coast, and they are presently breaking box office records from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh.

The record-breaking opening weekend for Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which he directed and starred Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Florence Pugh, saw the film earn Rs. 60 crore (Gross) from 1923 screens (including all IMAX screens). Any film by Christopher Nolan that wasn't part of a Hollywood studio's franchise system had the best opening weekend. It also has the biggest opening weekend (Friday–Sunday) for a Hollywood film in 2023 and the highest opening weekend (Friday–Sunday) for an Imax screen. When compared to markets in the United States and the United Kingdom, India ranks third.

The opening weekend of Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling and directed by Greta Gerwig, was a smashing success, grossing Rs. 21 crore (Gross) on 868 screens, the most ever for an English-language film. It is the biggest opening weekend for Warner Bros. in 2023, coming right after The Flash, and the second-highest for a female director's Hollywood film, behind only Frozen II.

The popularity of both Oppenheimer, with its legion of devoted fans for the film's famous director, Christopher Nolan, and Barbie, a cultural sensation of recent months, has swelled theatre attendance in India. In honour of this monumental cinematic event, many theatres have reported that crowds have purchased tickets to both films on the same day or over the same weekend.

Interestingly, Warner Bros. Discovery has distributed both films to theatres in India. Commenting on the historic moment when two Hollywood films dominated the Box office in India, Denzil Dias, VP & Managing Director, India Theatrical, Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement that they are beyond thrilled with the box office numbers of both Oppenheimer and 'Barbie' at the India Box office and are delighted to see the Indian audiences throng the cinemas to watch these films of completely different genres. They expected 'Oppenheimer' to do well in India because Christopher Nolan has a dedicated following there, but this is the film's biggest opening weekend ever.

Despite the fact that the market for films like Barbie is normally dominated by Action-event pictures or Superhero films, it has managed to have the second-biggest opening ever for a Hollywood female-oriented film. Both films' box office success on the same weekend bodes well for India's film industry, proving that viewers will turn out in large numbers for good films.

Talking about Barbie, to live in Barbie World is to exist as a flawless person in a flawless setting. A full-blown existential crisis is not necessary. Either that, or you're Ken in Warner Bros. Pictures, Heyday Films, LuckyChap Entertainment, NB/GG Pictures, Mattel, and Barbie production. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the movie in theatres all around the world beginning on July 21, 2023.

Oppenheimer, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, is an IMAX®-shot epic thriller that immerses viewers in the heart-thumping dilemma of the mysterious man who must risk destroying the world in order to rescue it. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, written by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin, served as inspiration for the film. Emma Thomas, Charles Roven (of Atlas Entertainment), and Christopher Nolan are the film's producers.