Theater audiences send Hollywood a message
Box-office success of ‘Barbenheimer’ shows moviegoers craving originality
In the massive movie weekend of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” there were many winners. Greta Gerwig, who made history for female directors. Christopher Nolan, who set a non-Batman career high. Movie theaters, more crowded than anytime post-pandemic. Lovers of unlikely double features. The color pink. Matchbox Twenty.
But one of the most important triumphs in the moviegoing monsoon of “Barbenheimer” was originality. Here are two movies that are neither sequels nor reboots pushing the box office to highs not seen in years. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” became a meme because of their worlds-apart differences, but they are each indelibly the work of those filmmakers.
“Barbie,” based on the Mattel doll, had some extremely well-known intellectual property going for it. And the story of J. Robert Oppenheimer and the atomic bomb comes from no small moment in history. Nolan is himself a brand too.
But Hollywood’s biggest zeitgeist in years was propelled by two movies without a roman numeral, a Jedi or a superhero in sight. At the same time, some of the most dependable franchises in movies, from Marvel to “Fast and the Furious,” are no longer leading the pack.
The movie business may be shifting. Audiences are showing a renewed taste for something fresh. “Barbenheimer” could, just maybe, be a turning point.
“I’ve always joked that if there’s a tornado movie that works that the next year there will be three tornado movies. There’s an internal prejudice to doing what works,” says Richard Gelfond, IMAX chief executive. “I’m hopeful that these movies (that) were original by noted filmmakers will convince studios to lean into that direction rather than doing what’s safe.
“The numbers don’t lie.” And the numbers are eye-popping. The total box office in U.S. and Canadian theaters on the films’ opening weekend was more than $300 million, the fourth highest ever. Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” grossed $162 million domestically, the best opening of the year. Universal’s “Oppenheimer” took in $82.4 million. Those results nearly doubled expectations and astonished Hollywood.
In the wake of “Barbenheimer,” many are hoping Hollywood will draw a lesson other than greenlighting more toy adaptations and the inevitable “Barbie” sequel.
“Everyone came out this weekend for two ORIGINAL, smart, quality movies,” wrote Clare Binns, managing director of indie distributor Picturehouse, on Twitter. “It’s what audiences want. Reboots, superheroes and films with bloated budgets that often cover a lack of ideas — time to take stock. No algorithms this weekend.”
Lately, some of the movies’ biggest franchises have shown signs of wear and tear.
“Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” has failed to ignite in theaters. In four weeks, it has made $335 million worldwide with a budget more than double that of “Barbie,” which cost $145 million.
The 10th “Fast and the Furious” movie, “Fast X,” was a dud domestically, though international sales have been robust. In three days, “Barbie” surpassed its total North American haul of $145.9 million.
The seventh “Mission: Impossible” film, “Dead Reckoning — Part One,” fell shy of expectations before getting blown away by “Barbenheimer.” It declined 64% in its second weekend.
Meanwhile, recent Marvel films and DC movies haven’t approached the kinds of grosses once assured of comic-book adaptations.
Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” with $843 million worldwide, has been a big seller, but movies like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Flash” have fallen well shy of expectations.
The nostalgia business isn’t going anywhere, nor is Hollywood’s dependence on remakes and sequels.
In last year’s top 10 films at the box office, one movie was a reboot (“The Batman”) and the rest were sequels. But such overdependence on moreof-the-same was sure to run out of steam one day — and this year’s best performers are coming from some new places.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.3 billion worldwide) isn’t anyone’s idea of cutting-edge cinema, but it reflects Hollywood’s new embrace of the gaming industry.
The year’s second biggest hit, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” ($375.2 million domestically) is yet one more “Spider-Man” movie. But it and its predecessor, “Into the Spider-Verse,” are hellbent on upending comicbook convention and expanding the notion of who can be a superhero.
Originality can be riskier for studios, but the payoff can be immense — just ask James Cameron. His franchise “Avatar” reached $2.3 billion with “Avatar: The Way of Water,” a futuristic, sci-fi epic that essentially created its own IP.
What else is working? Movies that appeal to audiences that have historically been underserved. “Creed III,” starring Michael B. Jordan, blew past expectations in March and ended up with more than $275 million globally on a $75 million budget. “Sound of Freedom,” from the faithbased distributor Angel Studios, has made $124 million in three weeks.
And of course, horror remains the easiest money. “Insidious: The Red Door” is just the latest in long, bloody line of low-budget, high-performance Blumhouse titles. It has made $156 million worldwide on a $16 million budget.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are expected to play strongly for weeks. They’ve reminded everyone of the limitless cultural potency of the movies. When stars, marketing muscle and filmmaking vision collide, anything can happen.
Whether that momentum will dissipate in the waning weeks of the summer will be left up to a series of releases — “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” “Haunted Mansion,” “Gran Turismo,” “Strays,” “Blue Beetle” — that may struggle to keep the spark alive.
Meanwhile, the ongoing strike by actors and screenwriters has begun to play havoc with the fall movie schedule.
Since the pandemic, studios and theater owners have tried various ways to bring back moviegoers to cinemas. But it could be that what moviegoers are most craving is the chance to see something new.