Barbie, Oppenheimer deliver record month for Cineplex theatres

Cineplex Inc. says it saw its highest July box office of all time as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” sent droves to theatres last month.

The Toronto-based cinema chain says the record month surpassed $86 million in net box office revenues.

July also delivered the company its second-highest month on record, trailing December 2015, when “Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens” was released.

Cineplex attributed much of the month’s lift to “Barbie,” which generated the highest July attendance at its theatres, followed by “Oppenheimer” and “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.”

Barbie Land is providing you the perfect escape. ✨???? pic.twitter.com/YBom9617Qb

— Barbie Movie (@barbiethemovie) July 31, 2023

Altogether the company says 6.8 million moviegoers visited its theatres last month, and Cineplex also scored its second-highest monthly premium box office revenue of all time.

The Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling-starring “Barbie” debuted on July 21, the same day as Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” hit theatres, with many fans treating the concurrent releases as a double bill.

“Barbenheimer” has proven to be not a one-weekend phenomenon but an ongoing box-office bonanza. The two movies combined have already surpassed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales.

For a movie industry that has been trying to regain its pre-pandemic footing — and that now finds itself largely shuttered due to actors and screenwriters strikes — the sensations of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have shown what’s possible when everything lines up just right.

With files from The Associated Press