LOS ANGELES, July 23 — The new Barbie movie brought in an estimated US$155 million (RM707 million) at US and Canadian theatres over the weekend, setting a record as the biggest opening of 2023, distributor Warner Bros said today.

Director Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, about the making of the atomic bomb, rang up US$80.5 million at domestic theatres in a cinema battle dubbed "Barbenheimer.”

The tallies provided a lift to studios and theaters that have endured a disappointing summer so far. Ticket sales have hovered below last year despite a larger number of films at cineplexes.

Barbie starring Margot Robbie, is Little Women director Greta Gerwig’s take on the iconic doll that debuted 60 years ago.

Oppenheimer stars Cillian Murphy as American scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man who developed the atomic bomb. The movie has drawn rave reviews and is expected to be a contender in the coming Academy Awards race. — Reuters