Barbenheimer is more than just a meme (although Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are still wondering what a 'meme' is!). It is, says Variety, a full-fledged box-office phenomenon. Over the weekend, moviegoers in North America turned out in force for Greta Gerwig’s neon-coated fantasy comedy Barbie, which smashed expectations with $155 million to land the biggest debut of the year, Variety reports. But they also showed up to see Christopher Nolan's R-rated historical drama Oppenheimer, which collected a remarkable $80.5 million in its opening weekend. Barbie Box Office Collection Day 3: Margot Robbie- Ryan Gosling’s Movie Earns $155.0 Million in USA.

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Hundreds of thousands of ticket buyers refused to choose between the seemingly different blockbusters with twin release dates. So they opted to attend same-day viewings of Barbie and Oppenheimer, turning the box-office battle into a double feature for the ages. The two movies worked together to fuel the biggest collective box-office weekend of the pandemic era, as well as the fourth-biggest overall weekend in history. It's worth noting the top three weekends were led by the debuts of sequels in massive franchises -- Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. In the end, though, it wasn't much of a competition as Barbie loomed large over box-office charts, thanks to an inescapable marketing campaign, as well as quality to match the stratospheric hype, says Variety. The $145 million-budgeted movie, backed by Warner Bros. and toymaker Mattel, dominated the zeitgeist in the weeks leading up to its debut (even reportedly causing a shortage of the colour pink) to a degree that's rare for original fare, notes Variety. Oppenheimer Box Office Collection Day 3: Cillian Murphy- Christopher Nolan’s Film Mints $174.2 Million Worldwide.

(Barbie is perhaps the world’s most famous doll, but the movie isn't a sequel or part of a pre-existing franchise.) Audiences and critics, in the words of Variety, dug the film, which landed an 'A' on CinemaScore and scored a whopping 90 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. Initial crowds were 65 per cent female, but that's notable because it's almost always the inverse for any movie that generates over $100 million in its debut. Among its many records underlined by Variety, Barbie also scored the biggest opening weekend ever for a film directed by a woman. Captain Marvel, which was co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, previously held the title with $153 million in 2019. Wonder Woman, from filmmaker Patty Jenkins, stood as the record-holder for a movie solely directed by a woman with $103 million in 2017.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 23, 2023 10:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).