During the massive movie weekend featuring the releases of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” numerous victories were celebrated. Among them were Greta Gerwig’s historic achievement as a female director, Christopher Nolan reaching a career high outside the Batman franchise, and the resurgence of crowded movie theaters post-pandemic. Audiences also reveled in the delight of unlikely double features, the color pink, and even Matchbox Twenty.
However, amidst the storm of “Barbenheimer” moviegoers, one standout triumph was the presence of originality. Both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” defied the trend of sequels and reboots, contributing to a remarkable surge in box office success not witnessed in years. Despite the striking contrast between the two films, they bore the unmistakable signature of their respective filmmakers.
The film “Barbie,” based on the iconic Mattel doll, drew strength from its association with a widely recognized intellectual property. On the other hand, “Oppenheimer” delved into the significant historical moment surrounding J. Robert Oppenheimer and the development of the atomic bomb. Christopher Nolan’s name itself has become synonymous with a distinct brand of filmmaking.
Hollywood experienced a significant cultural shift driven by a pair of movies that broke away from the typical formula of roman numerals, Jedi, or superheroes. Surprisingly, even some of the most reliable franchises like Marvel and “Fast and the Furious” are no longer dominating the industry.
It seems that audiences have developed a renewed appetite for fresh and original content. The success of “Barbenheimer” may serve as a potential turning point in the movie business.
Richard Gelfond, the CEO of IMAX, humorously remarked that if a tornado movie proves successful, the following year, there will be a flood of similar tornado-themed films. He points out that there’s an internal bias in the industry towards replicating what works. However, he remains hopeful that the triumph of these original movies, crafted by renowned filmmakers, will encourage studios to embrace this direction rather than playing it safe.
The undeniable numbers and box office success speak volumes and validate this shift towards embracing innovation and creativity.
The box office numbers were staggering, with the total revenue from U.S. and Canadian theaters reaching over $300 million, making it the fourth highest-grossing weekend ever. Warner Bros.’ “Barbie” led the charge, raking in an impressive $162 million domestically, marking it as the best opening of the year. Meanwhile, Universal’s “Oppenheimer” earned $82.4 million, also exceeding expectations and leaving Hollywood astonished.
The success of “Barbenheimer” has sparked hope among industry insiders that Hollywood will learn a valuable lesson beyond just greenlighting more toy adaptations and inevitable “Barbie” sequels.
Many voices in the industry, like Clare Binns, the managing director of indie distributor Picturehouse, took to Twitter to express their views. They emphasized that audiences are seeking original, intelligent, and high-quality films, and not merely reboots, superhero flicks, or movies with bloated budgets that often compensate for a lack of creativity with flashy visuals. The film’s success has demonstrated that following algorithms and sticking to safe formulas may not always be the winning strategy.
In contrast, some of the industry’s biggest franchises have shown signs of fatigue. For instance, “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” released 42 years after “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” failed to ignite the box office despite its hefty budget, making $335 million worldwide. In comparison, “Barbie,” which had a significantly lower budget of $145 million, has already surpassed the North American earnings of the 10th “Fast and the Furious” movie, “Fast X,” which underperformed domestically but enjoyed strong international sales.
The extraordinary box office results and the triumph of original movies like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have illuminated a potential shift in audience preferences, encouraging filmmakers and studios to explore fresh and inventive storytelling rather than relying solely on established franchises and formulas.
The seventh installment of the “Mission: Impossible” series, titled “Dead Reckoning Part One,” fell short of expectations and faced a significant decline of 64% in its second weekend, being overshadowed by the success of “Barbenheimer.”
Moreover, recent Marvel and DC movies haven’t achieved the same level of box office success that was once almost guaranteed for comic-book adaptations. While “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” performed well with $843 million worldwide, other films like “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” and “The Flash” failed to meet expectations.
Despite this, Hollywood continues to rely on nostalgia, remakes, and sequels. The top 10 films at the box office in the previous year featured one reboot (“The Batman”) and the remaining were all sequels.
However, the industry’s heavy reliance on familiar content was bound to face challenges, and this year’s top-performing movies are coming from fresh sources and ideas.
For example, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” achieved massive success, grossing $1.3 billion worldwide, demonstrating Hollywood’s increasing interest in tapping into the vast gaming industry.
Another standout hit, “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” became the second highest-grossing film of the year, earning $375.2 million domestically. This movie and its predecessor, “Into the Spider-Verse,” break away from conventional comic-book adaptations, expanding the concept of superheroes and challenging traditional norms.
This shift in success signals a potential turning point in the industry, as audiences show a preference for innovative and boundary-pushing storytelling rather than simply retreading familiar territory.
Indeed, originality can be a risk for studios, but the potential rewards can be immense, as demonstrated by James Cameron’s “Avatar” franchise. “Avatar: The Way of Water” reached an astonishing $2.3 billion, creating its own futuristic, sci-fi epic intellectual property.
Additionally, movies catering to historically underserved audiences have shown great success. “Creed III,” starring Michael B. Jordan, exceeded expectations and earned over $275 million globally on a $75 million budget. “Sound of Freedom,” distributed by Angel Studios and falling into the faith-based category, amassed $124 million in just three weeks, utilizing an innovative “Pay it Forward” purchasing program.
Horror movies remain a reliable source of profit, with “Insidious: The Red Door” joining the long list of low-budget, high-performing titles from Blumhouse. It generated $156 million worldwide on a modest $16 million budget.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are expected to maintain their strong performance in theaters for several weeks, reaffirming the enduring cultural power of movies. The convergence of star power, effective marketing, and compelling filmmaking can lead to remarkable outcomes, especially when these movies acquire amusing combined nicknames like “Barbenheimer.”
However, the momentum of this success might be challenged in the latter part of the summer as a series of upcoming releases faces the task of sustaining audience interest. The ongoing strike by actors and screenwriters has also begun to disrupt the fall movie schedule, reflecting the industry’s ongoing struggle over its future.
Since the pandemic, studios and theater owners have made various efforts to entice moviegoers back to cinemas after the surge in streaming platform popularity. From daring stunts by stars like Tom Cruise to offering $3 tickets for a day, numerous tactics have been employed. Nevertheless, it seems that what moviegoers crave the most is the opportunity to experience something genuinely new and fresh.
According to Mark Harris, the renowned author of “Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood,” an unmistakable transformation is currently underway.
Harris took to Twitter to express his viewpoint, stating that he previously highlighted in his book how an unforeseen blockbuster can have a far more disruptive impact on the Hollywood industry than a major box office flop. Now, he asserts that this very scenario is unfolding: TWO surprise smash-hit movies have emerged, indicating that drawing audiences back to the theaters requires offering them something fresh and novel, rather than repeating what they’ve already experienced.
