“Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ Remains Box Office Phenomenon, Surpasses $500M in North America”

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Director Greta Gerwig’s film “Barbie” continues to dominate the box office, holding onto the No. 1 spot for the fourth consecutive week. The Margot Robbie-led and produced film from Warner Bros. brought in an estimated $33.7 million, surpassing a total of $500 million in North America overall. This achievement comes just a week after the movie crossed the $1 billion mark globally, setting a new record for a female director.

“Oppenheimer,” the second half of the “Barbenheimer” duo, reclaimed the No. 2 spot in its fourth week after slipping to No. 3. The Christopher Nolan-directed film from Universal Pictures earned $18.8 million, bringing its overall domestic total to $264.3 million.

The week’s only major wide release, Universal’s “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” debuted in fifth place with a weekend opening of $6.5 million.

In its second week, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” secured third place with $15.6 million in domestic earnings. Meanwhile, “Meg 2: The Trench,” the Jason Statham shark sequel, dropped from second to fifth place in its second week in theaters, collecting $12.7 million.

With a current domestic total of $526.3 million and a global box office revenue of $1.18 billion, “Barbie” is on track to become the top-grossing film of 2023. Currently, it sits second to “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in terms of both domestic and global earnings. It also holds the distinction of being the second-highest grossing film in the history of Warner Bros., following 2011’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.”

The success of “Barbie” is a remarkable turn of events in what had been a lackluster year for the film industry. Major sequels like “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I” have underperformed. However, the impressive performance of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” has brought a much-needed boost to the box office, with the movies complementing each other in a box office “NASCAR race.”

The midsummer release of “Barbenheimer” has propelled the overall summer box office earnings ahead of last year. Just a month ago, it was trailing behind. The combined strength of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” has made a substantial impact on ticket sales and revenues.

With the release of highly anticipated movies like DC Comics’ “Blue Beetle,” the video game adaptation “Gran Turismo,” and the Denzel Washington sequel “The Equalizer 3” in August, the box office has a chance of reaching the $4 billion mark, which is considered a benchmark for a strong summer, pre-pandemic.

According to Comscore, all movies combined this summer have earned an estimated $3.63 billion in North America. Final domestic figures for this past weekend will be released on Monday.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. “Barbie” – $33.7 million
2. “Oppenheimer” – $18.8 million
3. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” – $15.6 million
4. “Meg 2: The Trench” – $12.7 million
5. “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” – $6.5 million
6. “Haunted Mansion” – $5.6 million
7. “Talk to Me” – $5.1 million
8. “Sound of Freedom” – $4.8 million
9. “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part I” – $4.7 million
10. “Jailer” – $2.6 million

The box office success of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” continues to energize the movie industry, providing a much-needed boost to a previously lackluster year at the theaters. With the summer total now surpassing last year’s figures, it is clear that audiences are returning to the big screen to witness these cinematic triumphs. As more highly anticipated releases are set to hit theaters in the coming weeks, the box office has a promising chance of reaching the $4 billion mark, signaling a strong rebound for the industry.