Hollywood hurricane: Barbie and Oppenheimer set for epic clash this weekend
Advance ticket sales of Oppenheimer cross 300,000 on BookMyShow, while for Barbie they have crossed 54,000
- Jul 18, 2023,
- Updated Jul 18, 2023 6:00 PM IST
July promises to pit iconic figures against each other, and this has already captured the attention of movie enthusiasts in India. In case you’re living under a rock, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie—the iconic doll created by Ruth Handler in 1959—is poised to make her grand debut in the world of cinema. The movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling releases on July 21. And it will go up against filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy. While Oppenheimer has sold 90,000 tickets for day one across PVR, INOX and Cinepolis, Barbie is trailing with 16,000, according to experts.
Ticketing platform BookMyShow said advanced ticket sales of Oppenheimer have already crossed 300,000 since tickets went live three weeks ago. “It’s especially heartening that Hollywood films have been doing so well. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (MI 7) set the tempo, followed by the most anticipated box-office duel between Oppenheimer and Barbie,” Ashish Saksena, COO - Cinemas, BookMyShow, said.
He added that ticket sales for both films have continued apace as the opening weekend nears. “While both the films are creating a buzz worldwide, Nolan’s Oppenheimer has started off on a very impressive note in India, as advance sales for the film in IMAX screens opened up much earlier than usual, therefore naturally taking the lead in sales. Since Oppenheimer will be the only release on IMAX screens this week, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Chennai are in the lead for most ticket sales on our platform,” he said.
“Hopping aboard the Nolan Express, a whopping 42% of tickets booked on BookMyShow have been for immersive cinematic formats specifically the IMAX format, with cinephiles gunning for the best theatre experience for a striking movie such as Oppenheimer.” Saksena added.
BookMyShow said that Barbie, too, has a massive audience pool interested and excited, especially the youth. “Its attractive trailer with dark humour undertones has swept many off their feet and with advance tickets opening up over the weekend (July 15). The film has already crossed 54,000 tickets sold on BookMyShow with Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Chennai and Kolkata in the lead as bookings continue to open across other screens and theatres across India,” he said.
Similar to global trends, many cinephiles have already booked their tickets for both these upcoming, highly-anticipated Hollywood movies. On BookMyShow, 8% of those who bought tickets for Oppenheimer also booked tickets for Barbie, with a large chunk opting to watch both on the same day! “In fact, we have also witnessed 22% of transactors for Oppenheimer having watched MI 7 just recently, further reiterating a strong audience following for quality Hollywood spectacles on the silver screen,” he added.
The industry expects the hype for both, the social media chatter, and their marketing techniques to increase anticipation. “We are optimistic that these two films are set to welcome hordes of consumers to the theatres across formats for the ultimate big screen experience,” he said.
As per rough estimates by the entertainment portal Sacnilk, MI 7 had garnered Rs 17.30 crore in India on July 16, Rs 12.30 crore on its opening day, and Rs 4.79 Crore on Monday.
July promises to pit iconic figures against each other, and this has already captured the attention of movie enthusiasts in India. In case you’re living under a rock, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie—the iconic doll created by Ruth Handler in 1959—is poised to make her grand debut in the world of cinema. The movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling releases on July 21. And it will go up against filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy. While Oppenheimer has sold 90,000 tickets for day one across PVR, INOX and Cinepolis, Barbie is trailing with 16,000, according to experts.
Ticketing platform BookMyShow said advanced ticket sales of Oppenheimer have already crossed 300,000 since tickets went live three weeks ago. “It’s especially heartening that Hollywood films have been doing so well. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (MI 7) set the tempo, followed by the most anticipated box-office duel between Oppenheimer and Barbie,” Ashish Saksena, COO - Cinemas, BookMyShow, said.
He added that ticket sales for both films have continued apace as the opening weekend nears. “While both the films are creating a buzz worldwide, Nolan’s Oppenheimer has started off on a very impressive note in India, as advance sales for the film in IMAX screens opened up much earlier than usual, therefore naturally taking the lead in sales. Since Oppenheimer will be the only release on IMAX screens this week, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR and Chennai are in the lead for most ticket sales on our platform,” he said.
“Hopping aboard the Nolan Express, a whopping 42% of tickets booked on BookMyShow have been for immersive cinematic formats specifically the IMAX format, with cinephiles gunning for the best theatre experience for a striking movie such as Oppenheimer.” Saksena added.
BookMyShow said that Barbie, too, has a massive audience pool interested and excited, especially the youth. “Its attractive trailer with dark humour undertones has swept many off their feet and with advance tickets opening up over the weekend (July 15). The film has already crossed 54,000 tickets sold on BookMyShow with Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Chennai and Kolkata in the lead as bookings continue to open across other screens and theatres across India,” he said.
Similar to global trends, many cinephiles have already booked their tickets for both these upcoming, highly-anticipated Hollywood movies. On BookMyShow, 8% of those who bought tickets for Oppenheimer also booked tickets for Barbie, with a large chunk opting to watch both on the same day! “In fact, we have also witnessed 22% of transactors for Oppenheimer having watched MI 7 just recently, further reiterating a strong audience following for quality Hollywood spectacles on the silver screen,” he added.
The industry expects the hype for both, the social media chatter, and their marketing techniques to increase anticipation. “We are optimistic that these two films are set to welcome hordes of consumers to the theatres across formats for the ultimate big screen experience,” he said.
As per rough estimates by the entertainment portal Sacnilk, MI 7 had garnered Rs 17.30 crore in India on July 16, Rs 12.30 crore on its opening day, and Rs 4.79 Crore on Monday.