Barbie Becomes a Billion-Dollar Picture
Welcome to another weekly installment of Couch Potato, where I go over what went down on the big and small screens so you can be a better-informed viewer.
The not-so-long awaited moment has finally arrived for Barbie as she crossed the billion-dollar mark at the box office in only just over two weeks. This total consists of $459 million domestically and $572 million overseas. This marks a career-first for the major players in the movie, including Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and Greta Gerwig. Gerwig can add another feather to her cap as Barbie is also the first movie in history exclusively directed by a woman to become a billion-dollar picture. In more good news for the beloved doll, the movie retained the number-one spot this week, bringing in an additional $53 million domestically.
Barbenheimer was finally broken up by The Meg 2, who proved itself to be a true predator at the box office opening with $30 million domestically to snatch the number two spot from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Meanwhile, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles didn’t fare so well, coming in last place of the big four contenders, with $27.9 million in its opening weekend (although, it’s $43 million if you count its box office since Tuesday).
As you have likely done the math yourself, that leaves Oppenheimer to claim the last spot in the “Top of the Top 10” this week earning an additional $28.7 million domestically. This brings its global numbers so far to $228 million domestically and $324 million globally.
Unfortunately, Haunted Mansion continues to bring fear to Disney, but not in the way that it hoped. It dropped 63% in its second weekend, only bringing in $8.9 million more to the movie’s domestic total this weekend.
When it comes to streaming, Hidden Strike starring Jackie Chan and John Cena came out of a five-year stay being stuck in post-production to claim the number-one spot with 22 million views in its debut week. Another movie that debuted this week was Netflix’s original animated movie, Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie based on the television series of the same name. It was able to accumulate 12 million views this week. Finally, They Cloned Tyrone enjoyed its second straight week in the “Top of the Top 10” with 11 million views in its own right, earning the movie third place.
If you were looking for your next binge-watch, The Witcher released the second half of season three, shooting it back up to number one with 69 million hours viewed. Meanwhile, Sweet Magnolias’ most recent season took second place with 45 million hours viewed in its second week in the “Top of the Top 10.” Finally, in a case study on the power of Netflix’s original dating shows, Too Hot to Handle’s fifth season jumped to the number three spot with 26 million hours viewed. This feat is only made more impressive when you factor in that it jumped up in its third week in the Top 10.
Next week, I’ll be reporting on whether The Last Voyage of the Demeter allows Dracula to take a bite out of the competitive box office or if it’s simply undead on arrival.
Stay tuned for that, and until next time, happy viewing!
Special to The Central Observer, Elton Allen
About the Author
Elton Allen is thrilled to be a contributing author on The Central Observer. As a proud native of Central Jersey, he looks forward to getting to help out a publication based right out of his backyard. He proudly runs the Couch Potato Corner and our Health & Wellness section. His professional writing background spans nearly a decade and covers a variety of industries, including healthcare, marketing, career counseling, entertainment, and more.