According to industry insiders, Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer and Barbie will build on the success of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One at the Indian box office, grossing a combined Rs. 45 crore throughout the first weekend.
They predicted that Barbie, a live-action movie based on the famous Mattel doll from actor-director Greta Gerwig, would perform better than Christopher Nolan’s Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer, a sprawling biographical drama on the titular American theoretical physicist played by Cillian Murphy.
Gautam Dutt on Tom Cruse’s Dead Reckoning
The co-CEO of PVR INOX Ltd, Gautam Dutta, credited Tom Cruise’s Dead Reckoning Part One for giving the second half of 2023 a blockbuster start.
“The whole trend started with Mission: Impossible. It was released on Wednesday, and the weekend was colossal… The whole momentum got created with that. This month also sees a massive opening of Oppenheimer and Barbie. This is the most positive news because people are flocking back to cinemas.
We expect an industry-wide opening day gross box office collection of Rs. 7 crore for Oppenheimer and Rs. 4 crore for Barbie. The first weekend (Friday–Sunday) collection could be around Rs. 30 crore for Oppenheimer and Rs. 15 crore for Barbie.”
Dutta to PTI
The seventh installment of Tom Cruise’s spy-action series Mission: Impossible, Dead Reckoning Part One, which debuted in Indian theaters on July 12, reportedly made Rs—50 crore in its first five days of operation.
Paramount House on the Film Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer & Mission Impossible
The film’s producer, Paramount Pictures India, claimed it had the “biggest opening day and opening weekend” nationwide for the franchise, Cruise, and the company.
According to Dutta, Dead Reckoning Part One was viewed by approximately 8.5 lakh people on Saturday and about 9 lakh people on Sunday.
According to the PVR INOX executive, the cinema chain has sold “close to 1.5 lakh tickets already for a single day for Friday, and for the weekend, it’s clocking about 4 lahks” seats for Oppenheimer.
He continued that because it appeals to a slightly different group, Barbie is also trending a little lower than Oppenheimer.
Three Back To Back Hollywood Movies in 10 days!
The release of three back-to-back Hollywood films in less than ten days has made July a “crackling month” at the movies, according to Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas at online ticketing service BookMyShow. “The success of Hollywood movies is very encouraging. The first Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning installment established the tone, and Barbie and Oppenheimer’s highly anticipated box office showdown followed.
As the release date approaches, “both films gather up speed. While both movies generate interest worldwide, Nolan’s Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer has gotten off to a solid start in India. This is because advance screenings for the movie in IMAX theaters opened up much earlier than usual. As a result, it has been selling the most tickets, according to a statement from Saksena. The top executive claims that since booking began three weeks ago, the movie has sold over 3 lakh tickets on BookMyShow.
According to him, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Chennai are the cities with the most significant ticket sales on the platform because Oppenheimer will be the sole release this week on IMAX screens. According to Saksena, 42% of Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer tickets ordered through BookMyShow were for IMAX or other immersive movie forms.
Dutta agreed, saying “all packed across the board” for Nolan’s most recent feature in IMAX theaters. “This trend transcends geographic boundaries. Every weekend has already passed, he continued.
Ticket Sold
Saksena noted that Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is bringing audiences to the theaters, particularly young people. According to him, the movie sold over 54,000 tickets on BookMyShow. Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Chennai, and Kolkata are leading as more theaters and screens across India continue accepting reservations.
Eight percent of individuals have purchased tickets for both Oppenheimer and Barbie, with the majority choosing to see both movies on the same day, according to the ticketing company.
22% of transactors for Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer have admitted to recently watching Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, further demonstrating the popularity of high-caliber Hollywood productions, Saksena noted.
“We are optimistic that these two films are set to welcome hordes of consumers to the theatres across formats for the ultimate big-screen experience,” he continued.
Komal Nahta on Cillian Murphy Oppenheimer and Barbe
Komal Nahta, a trade analyst, expects that Oppenheimer and Barbie will keep moviegoers enthralled this week. “Both movies are pretty popular, but expecting them to reach Mission: Impossible numbers is unrealistic because it was a mainstream movie. The Hindi version of Barbie won’t be released, and Christopher Nolan is a top-notch filmmaker.
In addition to being dubbed in Hindi, Mission: Impossible has broad appeal. However, the numbers will be significant. The only Bollywood movie opening in theaters is the little independent film Ajmer 92, which is terrific news. There would have been rivalry if there had been a big movie, Nahta told PTI. Avatar: The Way of Water and Fast X were the last Hollywood tentpole movies to do well at the Indian box office, according to Nahta.
While Vin Diesel’s Fast X debuted in theaters in May of this year and made Rs. 61 crores in its first three days, James Cameron’s The Way of Water, released in December 2022, reportedly made over Rs—100 crore in its first weekend.
