In the summer of 2023, two cinematic powerhouses are achieving remarkable milestones this weekend. Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” has now emerged as the top-grossing film globally for the year, surpassing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” with a staggering $1.365 billion. Simultaneously, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” continues its extraordinary performance, with the Universal title on track to exceed $850 million in global earnings by Sunday. This achievement will position it as the director’s third highest-grossing film worldwide, surpassing his 2010 hit “Inception.”
“Barbie,” distributed by Warner Bros., is currently playing in 75 international markets. As of Friday, the film has raked in an impressive $763.4 million at the international box office. Notable top-performing international markets for the living doll’s adventures include the UK ($117.8 million), Australia ($54.1 million), Mexico ($54.1 million), Germany ($53.8 million), and France ($46 million).
On the other hand, “Oppenheimer” is set to claim the title of the third-highest grossing movie of 2023 globally during its seventh weekend in theaters. It will trail only “Barbie” and “Super Mario,” surpassing “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” Among Christopher Nolan’s filmography, it will only stand behind “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Dark Knight.”
Universal Pictures now boasts three of the top five highest-grossing films globally for the year to date.
Looking at estimates for the full weekend at the international box office, “Oppenheimer” is anticipated to generate $49 million, elevating its international cumulative total to $542 million. The film, starring Cillian Murphy, ranks as the fourth highest-grossing Hollywood film overseas in 2023 and is Nolan’s best-performing film in 58 markets.
As of Friday, “Oppenheimer” has amassed $513.9 million internationally, contributing to its global tally of $816.9 million. The top five international markets for the film, as of yesterday, are the UK ($69.7 million), Germany ($44.6 million), France ($38.7 million), Australia ($24.8 million), and Spain ($20.3 million).
Of particular note, “Oppenheimer” secured the top spot at the Chinese box office on Wednesday and maintained its position in the following days. The film boasts an impressive 9.5 audience score on Maoyan and is estimated to have earned $23 million through Saturday, although this figure is not included in the totals mentioned earlier. This performance surpasses that of “Inception” at a similar stage by 144% (considering the Wednesday opening), aligns closely with the Wed-Sat earnings of “Interstellar” (-5%), exceeds the Fri-Sat earnings of “Tenet” by 20%, and outpaces the Fri-Sat earnings of “Dunkirk” by 23%.
Maoyan has recently adjusted its final projection for the film’s overall box office earnings, now estimating it at approximately $64 million. However, it is essential to exercise caution as these figures can fluctuate.
