Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" took in $70.5 million in North American theaters Friday, including the Thursday pre-shows. That set the movie on track to bring in roughly $150 million for its domestic opening weekend, a stunning achievement for what has become a pop culture sensation.
The movie is on pace to be the biggest domestic start for a female-directed movie. Its closest comparison is "Wonder Woman" in 2017, directed by Patty Jenkins, which raked in about $38 million domestically on opening day, according to Box Office Mojo. "Barbie" was distributed by Warner Bros., owned by CNN's parent company Warner Bros. Discovery.
Preview showings of "Barbie" brought in $22.3 million, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The Mattel doll film is beating out "Oppenheimer," which itself earned $33 million on Friday -- also an impressive feat.
It's a win for director Christopher Nolan, beating out many of his previous hits: "Inception" brought in around $22 million opening day and "Dunkirk" $20 million, though it didn't reach opening day numbers for "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Rises."
A social media driven campaign to see both movies led to a double-feature "Barbenheimer" phenomenon. That could bring a much needed rebound to the movie industry. Summer releases from earlier in the season, such as 'Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny' drew underwhelming box office numbers on opening weekend, drawing $60 million in the United States and $70 million internationally.
"Everything about this movie and the toy is fun," Sheri Lambert, a marketing professor at Temple University said on CNN. "I think people are looking to escape."
Mattel is also not new to nostalgia marketing, making people "really excited" about movies that take them back to the past, Lambert added.
