A week after reporting that 20,000 members of its loyalty program have bought advance tickets to see “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” as a double feature, AMC Theatres says that total has doubled to 40,000.
For months, the “Barbenheimer” double feature meme has become a cultural sensation, as cinephiles have delighted in how the movie release schedule has led to Greta Gerwig’s lighthearted comedy about the most famous doll every made getting released at the same time as Christopher Nolan’s tense drama about the creation of the nuclear bomb.
To accommodate those who are so excited for both films that they want to see them as a double feature, AMC has staggered screentimes for “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” this weekend and encouraged Stubs members to buy tickets for cheaper matinee screenings. Those who take part in the “Barbenheimer” craze will be taking part in an all-day affair, as the two films have a run time of just under five hours, not counting trailers.
Unsurprisingly, the crowd-pleasing “Barbie” is expected to be the No. 1 film this weekend. While Warner Bros. is keeping its projections very conservative at $75 million, exhibition sources have told TheWrap that advance ticket sales for “Barbie” have been among the strongest seen this year, giving the film a strong chance of becoming Warner’s first $100 million-plus opening since “The Batman” in March 2022.
“Oppenheimer,” however, is no slouch in box office projections. Current projections have the film earning an opening of around $45 million, but sources say that despite the long runtime and grim subject matter, “Oppenheimer” is also doing well in advance ticket sales and has an opportunity to top the $50.5 million opening of Christopher Nolan’s 2017 film “Dunkirk.”
