The internet found humor in the fact that Christopher Nolan’s dark, thoughtful and three-hour WWII biopic Oppenheimer, and Greta Gerwig’s bright, campy and feminist IP movie Barbie, were releasing on the same day. As a result, the "Barbenheimer" meme was born, resulting in many planning for the world's most bizarre double feature. The idea caught on, resulting in incredibly high numbers of people seeing both auteur projects back to back. It became a complete box office sensation, leading to record-breaking opening weekends for both films. Even almost a month out, the films continue to have high turnout, with Oppenheimer having hit a wild box office number.
According to Deadline, Oppenheimer just passed the $600 million mark for the global box office, becoming Nolan’s fifth highest grossing movie. The film so far has outperformed Batman Begins and Dunkirk, and just extended its IMAX run due to high demand for the film. Oppenheimer is performing well above expectations and had one of the most lucrative openings for an R-rated drama ever with a $82 million opening weekend.
