Oppenheimer Adds $46 Million To Domestic Box Office In Its Second Weekend
Note: An earlier version of this article claimed that "Oppenheimer" had set a new record for the biggest second weekend for an R-rated film. However, that record is still held by 2017's "It" ($60.1 million), followed closely by "Joker" ($55.8 million). The headline and text have been corrected, and we apologize to killer clown movies everywhere for the error.
Experiencing Barbenheimer fatigue? Moviegoers aren't, so suck it up.
That Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" is on track for a mere 41 percent drop after its gangbusters $162 million opening weekend shouldn't come as a huge surprise; it received an "A" Cinemascore from audiences, and has crazy repeat-viewing appeal (if only to spot all the visual gags). But Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer," which also got an "A" CinemaScore, would, given its unsexy subject matter and three-hour length, seem to have a more clearly defined commercial ceiling. A sobering drama about the creation of the nuclear bomb isn't exactly typical summer movie fodder.
Whether it's the Barbenheimer effect or the Nolan seal of guaranteed quality (the guy just doesn't make bad movies), this much is certain: "Oppenheimer" is an unprecedented box-office sensation. The film is on track for an estimated drop of just 44 percent from its $82 million opening, and should close out the weekend with another $46 million added to its domestic total.
And with a deeply underwhelming August on the horizon, "Oppenheimer" appears poised to break at least one more semi-significant record.
A historical drama on the cusp of making box office history
Hey, maybe they'll wind up being great movies, but the lineup of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," "Meg 2: The Trench," "The Last Voyage of the Demeter," "Blue Beetle," "Strays" and "Gran Turismo" are not likely to throw a dent into the "Oppenheimer" market. Also, keep this in mind: older viewers, who have been slow to return to theaters, are more likely to wait out the crowds and check out the film when jerkwads aren't commemorating their viewing on their smartphones.
There are two records to keep an eye on here. The first, which should fall easily, is the highest grossing film of all time to never rank number one at the box office. That title currently belongs to Garth Jennings' "Sing," which topped out domestically at $270 million. "Oppenheimer" will finish this weekend with $173 million in domestic ticket sales, and should hold onto enough screens throughout the month to pass that milestone.
The second record is a longshot: highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, for which the domestic record is currently held by Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" at $370 million. Ordinarily, there wouldn't be a high-enough weekly multiplier to get "Oppenheimer" there, but with studios moving wide releases from the fall and winter 2023 schedule because they refuse to pay writers and actors a fair wage (i.e. the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes), "Oppenheimer" could continue to be the best adult-skewing show in the multiplexes.
While I'd love to see Gibson's movie dethroned, it will only happen because studio skinflints have decided to inflict pain on exhibitors at the exact moment moviegoing has returned to pre-pandemic, 2019 levels. That would be a shame.