Distributor Warner Bros revealed that the Barbie movie has topped the charts as the highest-grossing film of the year in the US and Canada so far.
The company reported a staggering $155 million (£120 million) in earnings during its opening weekend.
In contrast, Universal Pictures announced that Oppenheimer, also released on Friday, garnered $93.7m (£72m) in the US.
These features are released amid challenging times for cinemas, as they face stiff competition from streaming services.
On another note, in the UK, Vue cinema chain reported that both movies contributed to the busiest weekend they’ve experienced in four years.
Vue, with a network of 91 cinemas across the UK and Ireland, confirmed it experienced the largest weekend in four years and the second biggest weekend ever in terms of admissions.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie is predicted to surpass Super Mario Bros and become the most successful film of 2023.
The pair of films attracted half a million viewers to Vue screens, resulting in 4,000 sold-out Barbie screenings across the UK and Ireland, the company revealed.
Vue stated that the most attended locations for Barbie screenings were Cambridge, Glasgow St Enoch, Leeds Kirkstall, Bolton, Islington in London, and Bolton.
Oppenheimer’s storyline revolves around the creation of the first atomic bomb, featuring Cillian Murphy and directed by Christopher Nolan.
Conversely, Barbie depicts a coming-of-age journey of the beloved children’s character as she explores her own identity and supports her friend Ken in cultivating his individuality.
Both films debuted on Friday, with the rivalry between them earning the social media nickname “Barbenheimer”.
Barbie, featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, saw a stronger opening weekend in ticket sales than the blockbuster Super Mario Bros, making it the leading film of 2023 thus far. Globally, Barbie’s premiere raked in $337m (£293m).
One Twitter user expressed that it had been a while since she was inspired to revisit a film at the theater, but Barbie managed to accomplish that.
She believed it would “remain a timeless masterpiece over the years – ideas really are forever”.
Prior to the films’ launch, Odeon in the UK reported that over 200,000 tickets were pre-sold, and about 10,000 viewers were anticipated to watch both Barbie and Oppenheimer during the debut weekend.
Additionally, Vue cinema reported on Friday that Barbie’s pre-sale figures were “higher than any other blockbuster released this year”.
Friday’s admissions were the highest recorded since the pandemic, marking the third-largest Friday ever for the cinema chain.
Universal Pictures stated that since its Friday debut, Oppenheimer has made £8.05m in the UK and Ireland.
Furthermore, Oppenheimer is projected to outperform the opening three-day collections of Christopher Nolan’s previous blockbuster hits – Interstellar, Dunkirk, and Inception.
Earlier in July, the Oppenheimer premiere saw stars leaving early due to a strike protesting concerns such as the increasing use of artificial intelligence in Hollywood film production and writing.
Oppenheimer’s international earnings reached $93.7m (£75m), leading to a worldwide total of $174.2m (£135m), according to Universal Pictures.
