There are certain movies that come out during the summer that make for an incredibly fun weekend at any AMC Theatre. There are plenty of big movies that have drawn in summer crowds over the years, such as HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS: PART 2 and movies that are considered classics, like JAWS, but today, the focus is on two of the latest films released in theatres — BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER.
These films are completely different in so many ways, and yet have taken over the box office and given fans so many reasons to plan a fun movie night in order to see two of the most anticipated movies of 2023. In fact, they scored the fourth highest box-office weekend ever, according to Variety. The hype for both films, dubbed ‘Barbenheimer,’ has only grown over the last couple of months, and now that they are officially at your local AMC Theatre, we need to talk about them and how you can see them yourself.
Barbie’s Box Office
BARBIE was already on the fast track to major success in the lead up to its debut. The movie, directed by Greta Gerwig and starring several popular actors such as Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Alexandra Shipp, Kate McKinnon and more, was promoted heavily prior to its release. From collaborations with several brands to a replication of a Barbie Dreamhouse popping up in Malibu, the marketing for this film was everywhere.
When it finally released in theatres, it did incredibly well, both critically and financially. According to the Variety article above, the film landed with $162 million dollars in domestic sales, and a whopping $356.3 million worldwide, which has only continued to grow since the week has gone on. In time, it’ll most likely end up becoming one of the biggest hits of 2023. It’s already surpassed THE SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE to become the biggest opening of this year.
Not only that, but BARBIE’S release also set a record for the largest opening ever for a film directed by a woman. Greta Gerwig, who previously directed two critically acclaimed films, LADY BIRD and LITTLE WOMEN, has now made history.
BARBIE is playing in AMC Theatres now
Oppenheimer’s Opening Weekend
The second half of the ‘Barbenheimer’ equation was Christopher Nolan’s historical epic, OPPENHEIMER. It’s also been highly anticipated since its announcement.
Fans grew even more excited to see the latest movie as news about it came out, from the huge cast featuring actors such as Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt and more, to the trailers, and everything else. Eventually, it was announced that OPPENHEIMER would be released the same weekend as BARBIE. It was a few months prior that those on social media began to dub the weekend ‘Barbenheimer.’
OPPENHEIMER is a very different film from BARBIE, not only in its content but in its rating, as it received an R from the MPA, for its language, nudity and sexuality. That being said, it’s natural for an R-rated movie to earn less than other films, such as BARBIE, which was rated PG-13 and marketed to a wider audience. However, OPPENHEIMER was met with not only critical acclaim, but solid box office numbers as well. Variety revealed that the biopic earned $82.4 million domestically. Globally, the movie earned an impressive $180 million.
Get Tickets OPPENHEIMER is playing in AMC Theatres now
Experience Barbenheimer
BARBIE is a story of the legendary toy doll, which nearly everyone is familiar with. OPPENHEIMER is the tale of the real life legendary physicist who was responsible for the most destructive weapon that man has ever created. They are vastly different in tone — but for some, that’s exactly the kind of double-feature that you want.
There’s also the possibility of seeing the movies on different days. Neither are very short films — BARBIE is almost two hours long, while OPPENHEIMER surpasses three hours. But, if you’re up for the challenge, you can get the full Barbenheimer experience and see them back-to-back. You could watch OPPENHEIMER first, and experience a nice laugh with BARBIE right after. Or, you could switch the order if you feel like getting philosophical at the end of the night.
Either way, it sounds like a great day at the movies. In the words of OPPENHEIMER star Cillian Murphy, “You can spend the whole day in the cinema — what’s better than that?”
Be sure to check out your local AMC Theatres listings for OPPENHEIMER and BARBIE showtimes.
