The superhero film displaced the summer blockbuster ‘Barbie’ from its reigning position at the summit.
A Dual Triumph Unfolds for Warner Bros. During This Weekend. The novel superhero epic, Blue Beetle, is poised to etch itself into the annals of captivating trivia in the days to come. Its legacy, forever interwoven with the narrative of unseating the reigning monarch, blockbuster Barbie, from the zenith of the native box office, shall undoubtedly become a cherished tale. This audacious feat was achieved after a month-long tenure. While Blue Beetle may not have resounded as a resounding cash cow in its inaugural weekend, it managed to orchestrate a performance of commendable stature, propelling Barbie to settle for the runner-up position.
However, it’s abundantly evident at this juncture that the ordinary movie enthusiast no longer harbors an inclination toward indulging in additional chapters of a franchise that has been openly relegated to the hinterlands of collective memory. This augurs ill for December’s impending spectacle, “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” which ostensibly claims the mantle of the ultimate opus from the antiquated era of the DCEU. In the skilled custodianship of James Gunn and Peter Safran, the DCEU is poised to experience a rebirth in the year 2025, unfurling its new incarnation with the arrival of “Superman: Legacy.”
In its fifth weekend, Barbie gracefully embraced the runner-up position, amassing an approximate $21 million addition to its coffers. This commendable feat propels the film’s cumulative domestic earnings to an astounding $566 million. Globally, Barbie’s box office resonance resonates even more profoundly, with a colossal revenue of over $1.2 billion. This resounding success beckons the prospect of Barbie triumphing over The Super Mario Bros. Movie, both within the borders of the United States and worldwide, thus claiming the laurel of the year’s preeminent cinematic offering. Orchestrated under the directorial baton of Greta Gerwig, Barbie made its debut in the company of Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” last month, a moment now immortalized as the “Barbenheimer” spectacle — an event of grandiose anticipation, culminating in a dual-screen extravaganza that has collectively garnered a monumental bounty of nearly $2 billion on a global scale.
Both Fresh Entrants Fell Short of Expectations in Their Inaugural Weekends
Claiming the third rung of the ladder, Oppenheimer surged ahead with an infusion of $11 million over the weekend. With its domestic earnings poised on the precipice of breaching the $300 million threshold, the film is on the verge of eclipsing the lifetime tally of Nolan’s masterpiece, “Inception,” which amassed $293 million within the nation’s borders. Similar to the trajectory of Blue Beetle, Oppenheimer seems destined to etch its name into the annals of trivia lore, having secured the honor of being the most colossal cinematic opus to have never ascended to the pinnacle of box office supremacy throughout its entire cinematic journey. Triumphantly, the film sailed past the monumental milestone of $700 million in global earnings on Saturday and anticipates concluding Sunday with a worldwide total approximating $718 million.
Positioned at the fourth and fifth ranks, the stage was claimed by the freshly unveiled R-rated comedy, Strays, and Paramount’s steadfastly enduring animated creation, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. Strays, in its inaugural weekend, managed to garner a mere $8.5 million, a sum that falls remarkably short, especially considering the reported production cost of over $45 million. In a parallel trajectory, Mutant Mayhem, within its third weekend, is anticipated to accrue a comparable figure, projecting to augment its cumulative domestic earnings to a shade under $90 million. As the tale unfolds, it’s plausible that the movie may eclipse Strays in performance once the actual reports materialize tomorrow. Delve into our dialogue with Blue Beetle’s visionary director, Ángel Manuel Soto, in an interview accessible here, and remain tuned to Collider for forthcoming updates.
