Barbie & Oppenheimer Dominate, Haunted Mansion Falters

This is insane. Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan continued dominating the domestic and worldwide box office as their respective features, Barbie and Oppenheimer, contributed a record $217M July weekend, up +122% from last year, according to Deadline.

Barbie led all with a colorful second weekend of $93M (-42.6%) to bring its domestic total to a massive $351M. Worldwide, the Warner Bros. blockbuster has grossed $774M and shows no signs of slowing down.

Universal’s Oppenheimer, meanwhile, likewise demonstrated remarkable staying power, earning $46M (-44%) in its sophomore frame for a $173.6M running domestic total, $400M worldwide. Again, this is a 3-hour, R-rated drama devoid of flashy effects, big-name stars, and action, folks. Very impressive, indeed.

Opening this week were a pair of horror flicks, Disney’s family-friendly Haunted Mansion remake, and A24’s Talk to Me. The former managed $24M, which is on par with the 2003 Eddie Murphy vehicle based on the popular Disneyland attraction when not adjusted for inflation, while the latter managed $10M, easily surpassing its $4.5M budget.

Sound of Freedom came in at No. 4 with a $12M weekend, increasing its domestic haul to an eye-popping $150M. That total bests the likes of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 ($140M) and is just behind Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($167M) and Elemental ($144M). Who saw that coming?

This week sees the release of the highly anticipated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Mutant Mayhem animated feature. Will this new toon be enough to knock Barbie and/or Oppenheimer off their perches?