Oppenheimer and Barbie weekend set records for AMC theatres and IMAX

The long-awaited double feature of the summer has arrived. When it was realized that Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, would be going toe-to-toe with Christopher Nolan’s epic drama Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, and Matt Damon, the internet was lit aflame with memes and jokes about seeing both films back-to-back. Early on, AMC, one of the country’s biggest theater chains, had reported on around 20,000 filmgoers reserving tickets for a double feature on opening weekend.

The dual-release phenomenon exploded this weekend’s box office with the might of an atomic explosion. According to Deadline, AMC said Saturday was its busiest day since July of 2019. In the U.S., Friday, Saturday and Sunday each set single-day post-reopening attendance records. On Saturday, AMC recorded the fifth-highest single-day U.S. admissions ticket revenues in its 103-year history – and its second-highest highest food and beverage revenue day ever after Avengers: Endgame in May 2019.

AMC CEO Adam Aron stated, “AMC sends an enormous thank you and congratulations to Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and the entire team at Warner Bros., and to Christopher Nolan and the team at Universal Pictures. They’ve demonstrated that well-made, well-marketed films that captivate audiences can open on the same weekend and both enjoy great success.”

Despite having problems with the 70mm print, Oppenheimer has been doing big business with its much-hyped IMAX screenings. The Cillian Murphy drama is also currently tangling it up with the prior week’s big IMAX release, Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, which brought the appeal of seeing Cruise’s antics on the large, premium screen. However, Oppenheimer is selling out tickets all over, whether in 70mm or digital. IMAX CEO Rich Gelfond added, “Oppenheimer is an undeniable demonstration of a paradigm shift in moviegoing, with Imax taking a commanding share of the global box office as audiences show a clear preference for experiences that transcend the ordinary in cinema. As he has done throughout his career, Christopher Nolan pushed the boundaries of IMAX technology to deliver unforgettable storytelling with Oppenheimer, and audiences are responding in numbers we’ve not seen in our 50-year history.”