The Barbie movie is closing in on $1.18 billion at the global box office as its opening companion Oppenheimer nears $652 million, giving another sign that consumers are ready to return to the theaters.
Despite being in theaters for several weeks, both movies continue to draw large crowds in the Twin Cities, and Michelle Mann, with Mann Theaters, says it’s a sign people want to be at the movies.
“People want to come out,” Mann says. “People want to come to the movies, have their popcorn and their sodas and watch a fantastic film on the big screen.”
Mann says Barbie was a highly anticipated film, and thanks to social media, the “Barbenheimer” trend caught on, leading to a boost in sales at box offices worldwide.
But with the trend came an influx of consumers seeing the films in succession, also known as a double feature, something Mann says is not common these days.
“For people to go out and see a double feature in the same day is really something that hasn’t happened for a long time,” she said.
After the COVID-19 pandemic brought uncertainty to movie theaters, the boost brought on by Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Mission Impossible is a welcomed sight.
“We did not realize how well each of those films would do with, of course, leading Barbie,” Mann said, adding that Barbie surpassing $1 billion is something “No one expected in the industry.”
Mann believes the movies’ success sends a direct signal to Hollywood and movie distributors.
“It shows some distributors that the way to release a film is in the movie theater,” she said.
Theaters are still waiting to see how the ongoing writers and actors strike will impact future distribution. For the time being, Mann says they’re prepping for what looks like a promising holiday season for the movie industry, even if it means rerunning older films.
“There’s nothing like seeing a classic holiday film in the movie theaters… you can stream them at home, but there is nothing like going to a movie theater,” Mann said.
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