‘Barbenheimer’ gives Hollywood hope amid labor fights

The debut weekend of “Barbenheimer” — the online phenomenon that has paired two blockbuster movies released on the same day — offered Hollywood a glimpse of hope amid ongoing labor disputes as the writers and actors unions remain on strike.

Moviegoers flocked back to the theaters over the weekend, earning Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” a combined $235.5 million in ticket sales, likely making it the four biggest box office weekend of all time. The social media phenomenon of “Barbenheimer” likely contributed to this record-breaking weekend, as many moviegoers opted to see both contrasting films on the same day.

“Barbie” topped the box office for 2023 with $155 million in ticket sales in North American theaters, breaking the first weekend record for a movie directed by a woman. “Oppenheimer” secured the second spot by earning about $80 million in its debut weekend.

This weekend marks the first time one movie opened with more than $100 million and another movie opened to more than $80 million during the same weekend. The National Association of Theater Owners said that about 200,000 people had booked same-day tickets for both films.

Internationally, “Barbie” earned about $182 million from 69 territories, and “Oppenheimer” received $93.7 million from 78 territories.

This successful opening weekend comes amid dual Hollywood strikes, as the Writers Guild of America is slated to enter its third month of striking, and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) is set to enter its second week of its strike. This is the first time both writers and actors have striked at the same time in more than 60 years.

The “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” press tours were disrupted earlier this month, as the SAG-AFTRA authorized a strike after a contract could not be reached between the union and the studios after more than a month of talks on a new three-year contract. The union rules state that members on strike cannot make personal appearances or promote their work on podcasts or at premieres, meaning that leading actors of both films did not promote their work in the U.S. in the days leading up to the debut.

The unions did not ask moviegoers to not attend upcoming films such as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” but instead asked for supporters to post on social media about the strike. They are also barred from doing any production work including auditions, readings, rehearsals, voiceovers or wardrobe fittings, according to the strike rules.

SAG-AFTRA has announced a schedule for picketing in cities across the U.S., including New York City and Los Angeles.

The Associated Press contributed.

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