‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ give AMC Theatres its best week ever in 103-year history

‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ give AMC Theatres its best week ever in 103-year history
Warner Bros. Pictures – Universal Pictures

After a colossal $300 million combined opening weekend two weeks ago, AMC Theatres says the sophomore frame of “Barbenheimer” continues to break records for the chain.

AMC now says the combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer — plus strong showings from the latest Mission: Impossible and the unlikely blockbuster The Sound of Freedom — made July 21-27 the biggest week in the company’s 103-year history.

That week also saw 65 AMC locations recording their highest box office receipts of all time.

The Barbenheimer phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down: Its second week in theaters, along with Mission, Freedom and the debut of Disney’s Haunted Mansion, made for the company’s third-busiest weekend globally since theaters reopened in 2020.

Admissions revenues this past weekend were more than double what they were July 27-30 of last year, the company also revealed.

In a statement, AMC Chairman and CEO Adam Aron commented on the “monumental success” of Barbie and Oppenheimer, which have “new records and new benchmarks being realized seemingly wherever you turn.”

He adds, “These two movies, along with the many others playing on our huge silver screens, continue to rewrite what is possible at the box office.”

Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie already has a worldwide tally of $774.5 million, making the Margot RobbieRyan Gosling film the third highest-grossing movie of the year, behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer has a worldwide take of $400.4 million — nearly unheard of for a three-hour historical drama. The movie starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. already out-earned Nolan’s previous top-grossers, Tenet and Batman Begins, which earned $365 million and $373 million, respectively.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.