AMC Theaters says over 20,000 fans have already purchased tickets to see both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” on the same day, making all those double “Barbenheimer” memes a reality.
According to Elizabeth Frank, EVP Worldwide Programming and Chief Content Officer of AMC Theaters, the theater chain even saw a 33% increase in ticket sales for both films between Friday and today among people excited to make their own double feature.
To be clear, AMC will not be hosting their own double-feature event that will screen both films back-to-back. And you can’t have both movies for the price of one ticket. But enough fans two weeks away from both films opening on July 21 are already committing to seeing both films — and enough press have already asked the question about the theater chain — that it prompted AMC to share the numbers. astounding.
Those 20,000 people are all members of AMC Stubs, so it could be a lot more, and it doesn’t include people who see it anywhere else in the country. But both films are available for presale now through AMC, and AMC is even offering collectible “Barbie” merchandise once the film hits theaters.
“The fact that more than 20,000 moviegoers have already planned and purchased tickets to see ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ on the same day is a great sign that the growing online conversation about watching both of these incredible films is turning into ticket sales.” ”, Frank said in a statement. “Equally exciting, 10 days after these films open, this could be just the beginning. From Friday to today, we saw a 33% increase in the number of guests who decided to create their own double feature by purchasing tickets to see both films on the same day. We are excited to see this momentum.”
Both films are box office hits, with Warner Bros. and Mattel’s ‘Barbie’ tracking between $70 million and $80 million in its opening weekend, and that number is only poised to climb after release. Last night’s world premiere in LA fueled interest further (this writer attended and it’s fantastic).
Universal’s “Oppenheimer” is three hours long, but Christopher Nolan is no stranger to cinematic spectacle and draws a devoted crowd, and that film is grossing between $40-50 million and will depend on its premium large format and IMAX screens to make its money. The film has a monopoly on IMAX screens when it opens, despite appeals from Tom Cruise on behalf of “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.”
