On July 21, “Barbie” by Greta Gerwig and “Oppenheimer” by Christopher Nolan debuted in cinemas. These are highly anticipated and very different productions. There was pressure on the creators – this year is not very good when it comes to ticket sales. In the world, neither the next “Marvel” nor the new installment of “Mission Impossible” did as well as the market would expect. Fortunately, the closer to the premiere, the more clear it was that now there was no reason to be afraid of low attendance at one of the titles at the expense of the other, and the #barbieheimer promotion, combining both productions, will benefit everyone.
“Barbie” ahead of “Oppenheimer”, but he may have “longer legs”
In Poland, as in the world, “Barbie” was more popular, but also “Oppenheimer” did great. – Helios had a very high attendance weekend and on July 21-23, the film “Barbie” had almost twice as many viewers (100,209) than the film “Oppenheimer” (51,016) – says Gazeta.pl Katarzyna Pińkowska-Domańska from the largest cinema chain in Poland, with 54 cinemas. The program and distribution manager at the Kinoteka PKiN in Warsaw, Michał Chabiera, does not provide specific numbers, but he emphasizes a similar trend:
Just like on a global scale, ‘Barbie’ sells better here than ‘Oppenheimer’, but it is a film aimed at a wider audience, perfect summer entertainment. ‘Oppenheimer’, despite its length and due to the fact that it is a less commercial film, still records excellent results.
Chabiera notes that due to the duration of both films (“Barbie” is 1 hour and 54 minutes without commercials, and Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” as much as three hours), the repertoires include more screenings with Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Therefore, you can sell more places in the facility during the day on “Barbie”. “On the other hand, we feel that Oppenheimer will have ‘longer legs’ and the film will sell well for a longer period of time.”
Over 728,000 viewers in cinemas this weekend. Many in pink
And what did it look like in the 45 Multikino cinemas? – Viewers from July 21 to 23 most often watched “Barbie”, “Oppenheimer” and “Between the Elements” – informs Gazeta.pl Mariusz Spisz, Member of the Management Board of Multikino SA – Due to the #barbenheimer action, many people saw these two films last weekend and thanks to that both productions attracted a total of over 728,000 viewers to all cinemas in Poland – he is happy. – For cinemas in Poland, it was the best weekend since the outbreak of the pandemic and one of the best in the last 30 years – he adds and emphasizes that he hopes that the return of viewers to cinemas will prove to be a lasting trend.
Perhaps some viewers will also decide to watch the films multiple times – I have already seen both titles and I am actually considering a re-screening in the case of “Oppenheimer”. I also know someone who has already seen one “Barbie” show and two biopics of the “father of the atomic bomb”. It wasn’t easy to do in one weekend, but it wasn’t impossible either. – As for the weekend, it was indeed above average in ticket sales, certainly the best since the reopening of cinemas after lockdowns and was at the level of the best pre-pandemic weekends. In addition, during the Thursday pre-premiere screenings of “Barbie”, we managed to beat our one-day ticket sales for one film in Kinoteka, and as we know, the previous records are the times before 2020 – says Chabiera.
He also mentions the trend of a movie with Margot Robbie as a popular doll – in many cities in Poland you could meet people going to or from the cinema in pink clothes. It was similar in Kinoteka. – At least half had a strong “Barbie” vibe, while the other half had at least some pink accent. It was a blast and we’ve never seen anything like it, to be honest.
Filabrielle Roitman, Kayla Seffing, Maddy Hiller and Casey Myer take a selfie in front of the ‘Oppenheimer’ poster as they go to the ‘Barbie’ show in Los Angeles photo. Chris Pizzello / AP Photo
How did “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” do in the world?
Barbie grossed $337 million worldwide on its opening weekend, including $155 million in the United States – and that alone was enough to recoup the $145 million production budget. This is a record for this year and the best opening ever for a film directed by a woman. “Oppenheimer” is a film by definition more difficult and less massive, but it also did great. None of the specialists estimated that it would be possible to reach USD 174 million in proceeds, including USD 80.5 million in the USA. Nolan’s film cost $100 million, so it has already paid for itself, with the director having his third best opening ever – bettering the second and third parts of his Dark Knight trilogy.
The only question is what’s next for the cinema. The screenwriters’ strike has been going on in Hollywood since May, and just before the premiere of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”, the actors’ union joined them. Even the fact that Nolan’s actors walked out of the London premiere of the film did not hurt these two productions – the promotional machine was already well oiled and sped up. Now, however, potential next hits such as “Gladiator 2” or “Deadpool 3” are not being made, because work on the plans is on hold. Previously (in the 1980s) the producers succumbed to the actors after several hours of strike. We’ve been stuck for a few days now.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
