The “Barbie” phenomenon is far from over. Greta Gerwig’s
film, which earlier this week became the highest grossing Warner Bros. release
ever domestically, nearly managed to stay No. 1 again with $21.5 million in its
fifth weekend. It’s up to $567.3 million in North America and an eye-popping
$1.28 billion globally.
The other half of “Barbenheimer” also continues to perform
remarkably well for a movie so far into its run.
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” took in $10.6 million in
its fifth week. With a $285.2 million domestic total, “Oppenheimer” now owns
the distinction of being the biggest box-office hit never to land No. 1 at the
weekend box office. The previous record-holder for that unlikely stat is 2016’s
“Sing,” which grossed $270.3 million in the shadow of “Rogue One: A Star Wars
Story” and “Hidden Figures.”
Universal Pictures’ “Oppenheimer” has done even better
overseas. Its global gross stands at an estimated $717.8 million through
Sunday.
“Blue Beetle,” starring Xolo Maridueña, came in on the lower
side of expectations and notched one of the lower debuts for a DC Comics movie.
Though earlier planned as a streaming-only release, Warner Bros. elected to put
“Blue Beetle,” the first DC movie to star a Latino superhero, into theaters in
the late summer, a typically quiet period at the box office.
The production price tag of about $105 million was lower for
“Blue Beetle” than the average superhero film. It’s one of the last releases
produced under an earlier regime at DC Studios, which James Gunn and Peter
Safran took the reins of last year.
The film, directed by Ángel Manuel Soto and written by
Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer, drew solid reviews – certainly better than the three
previous DC releases this year (“The Flash,” “Black Adam” and “Shazam! Fury of
the Gods”). “Blue Beetle” (76% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) is the rare comic-book
film to put a Hispanic cast front and center.
But it also faced some tough luck, and not just in the
unexpected staying power of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” Southern California was
bracing Sunday for Hurricane Hilary — potentially dampening ticket sales in the
region. (Los Angeles was still its top market.) And like recent releases, “Blue
Beetle,” which added $18 million internationally, didn’t have its cast available
to promote the movie due to the ongoing actors strike.
Universal’s raunchy R-rated canine comedy “Strays” showed
even less bite. The film, with a voice cast including Will Ferrell and Jamie
Foxx, landed in fifth place with $8.4 million. Comedies have generally
struggled in theaters in recent years, but “Strays” had it particularly rough
given that its starry cast was unavailable.
“Strays” was very narrowly bested by “Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.” The Paramount Pictures animated release earned $8.4
million in its third weekend, bringing its domestic total to $88.1 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and
Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be
released Monday.
1. “Blue Beetle,” $25.4 million.
2. “Barbie,” $21.5 million.
3. “Oppenheimer,” $10.6 million.
4. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” $8.4
million.
5. “Strays,” $8.3 million.
6. “Meg 2: The Trench,” $6.7 million.
7. “Talk to Me,” $3.2 million.
8. “Haunted Mansion,” $3 million.
9. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” $2.7
million.
10. “The Last Voyage of the Demeter,” $2.5 million.