JACKSON, Wyo. — “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” dominated box offices all over the world this past weekend, and Jacksonites turned out in droves to see both films.
Every single screening of both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” from Friday, July 21 through Sunday, July 23, sold out at Jackson’s MovieWorks Cinema, Buckrail has learned.
MovieWorks Manager Meg Reeder called the weekend “a big boost.”
“It was a post-COVID, record-setting, sunny summer weekend,” Reeder said via email.
Many moviegoers even opted to see both movies on the same day, completing what’s known online as the “Barbenheimer” double feature.
Jackson’s enthusiastic response to this pair of films is in line with the rest of the country’s; “Barbie” posted the biggest opening weekend of 2023 and also broke the record for the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a female director. The combined power of both films represents the film industry’s most successful weekend since the pandemic, and even the fourth-biggest weekend box office ever.
Reeder attributes the remarkable weekend to the films’ respective individuality.
“Audience feedback in the form of ticket sales tells us that people aren’t looking for the fourth or seventh installment of a franchise — they’re looking for original content from renowned directors,” Reeder said.
