“There’s certainly some cross-pollination going on,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at measurement firm Comscore.
“It’s so rare,” said Dergarabedian, who couldn’t remember a dual-opening weekend generating this much collective buzz since 2000′s “The Patriot” and “The Perfect Storm.” This image released by Universal Pictures shows Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, left, and Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer in a scene from"Oppenheimer."
“This was a phenomenal experience for people who love movies on the big screen,” said Michael O’Leary, president of the National Assn. of Theatre Owners, in a statement. It’s worth noting that “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are more than commercial successes. Both movies also fared exceedingly well with critics and audiences, which in turn bodes well for their box-office futures.
" ‘Barbie’ certainly will be more front-loaded ... But ‘Oppenheimer’ is going to build on it being a different type of summer style movie. This feels like a movie that’s certainly gonna be recognized come awards season. So it’s going to have a very long life in the public consciousness.”