Life in plastic is definitely fantastic for Barbie as the Margot Robbie-led movie has massively exceeded expectations at the box office, collecting an impressive $23 million from Thursday night previews.
To put that into context, that's by far the biggest opening night of 2023, with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 a distant second at $17.5 million. Needless to say, this is exactly the sort of result Warner Bros. needed after The Flash crashed and burned earlier this summer.
It's also worth noting that this $23 million haul puts Barbie ahead of recent hits like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($17.4 million), The Batman ($21.6 million), and Avatar: The Way of Water ($17 million).
Even last year's biggest movie of the summer, Top Gun: Maverick, failed to reach these heights (it made $17.5 million).
There's obviously been a lot of chatter about "Barbenheimer," but only one movie can win the weekend. It won't be Christopher Nolan's latest because Oppenheimer opened to a respectable $10.5 million last night.
What will the weekend look like from here?
Right now, estimates are all over the place but projections range from $90 million - $125 million. Warner Bros. is being a little more conservative by predicting a $75 million haul, with a possible $165 million global opening. It's simply too soon to say for sure. Either way, it should be the biggest weekend for a movie directed by a woman, so hats off to the amazing Greta Gerwig.
What will you be watching in theaters this weekend? Let us know in the comments section below.