‘Barbie’ dominates box office with $162m opening
By Abimbola Mohammed
‘Barbie’, the heavily marketed and much anticipated film, has delivered a record breaking blockbuster weekend domestic opening at $162 million, against the initial projection of $155 million estimated on Sunday. The $162 million in ticket sales was recorded in the United States and Canada, according to distributor Warner Bros in a statement on Monday. The film is now officially the biggest movie of the year.
‘Barbie’ posted the biggest domestic opening ever for a non-superhero film or sequel, in the history of films that has closest comparison is “Wonder Woman” in 2017, directed by Patty Jenkins, which raked in about $38 million domestically on opening day, according to Box Office Mojo. “Captain Marvel,” co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, brought in about $62 million.
The film is the best 2023 opening so far, and one of the best since 2020 the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amid all of the “earned media” push, social media spin and other word-of-mouth efforts Warner Bros. spent a very modest $10.6 million so far in national TV advertising, according to EDO Ad EnGage.
This came from 3,600 airings of TV commercials, pulling in 1.6 billion impressions.
For its part, Universal Pictures pulled out all stops spending a hefty $28 million in national TV advertising for a big 4,740 airings of commercials, amassing 3.0 billion impressions.
Speaking on the huge success of the movie, Tiffany Moustakas, Editor at LinkedIn News wrote: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” blew past box office records and made history during their debut weekend. The dual film release grossed about $302 million in North America, making it the fourth-biggest weekend ever in U.S. box office history, according to analytics company Comscore.”
Cameron Curtis, from Warner Bros. on his LinkedIn page wrote: “Barbie serves as a beacon of inspiration not just for the movie industry, but also for brands worldwide, illustrating how a beloved icon can be reimagined for the big screen. As we celebrate this moment, we are reminded of the magic that happens when we blend nostalgia with innovation.”
Eduardo Sanchez-Ubanell, Tech & Media personality wrote: “Amazing! Barbenheimer’s massive opening weekend shows audiences are excited to see new ideas and original storytelling in theaters. New technologies like streaming haven’t taken away people’s interest in experiencing these cultural events in-person.”
Impressions on ‘Barbie’ the movie according to Val Morgan, Advertising services include: ‘Barbie’ has over 1 million admissions from Thursday to Sunday, 66% of the total audience within the P14-39 demographic, biggest opening weekend ever for a female-directed film, biggest opening weekend ever for a comedy film, beating out the 12-year-old record set by TheHangover: Part II.
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