Even with Barbenheimer weekend in the rearview, the Barbie movie is continuing to break records at the box office. Beginning with $29 million earned on Friday, the Greta Gerwig-directed Barbie movie is headed towards an additional $95 million in its second weekend at the box office, the best second-weekend performance ever for a Warner Bros. Pictures release (not adjusted for inflation).That total should brings Barbie's cume to $350 million by Monday morning. Barbie carries an A CinemaScore and the Margot Robbie-led movie is one of has earned high marks from critics and fans on Rotten Tomatoes. ComicBook.com's Nicole Drum gave Barbie a review score of 4.5 out of 5. She writes:
"Barbie is quite possibly Gerwig's best film to date. It is insightful, hilarious, and packed with thoughtful commentary as well as an incredible amount of Easter eggs and one-liners that will reward audiences of every age and opinion on Barbie, not just on the first watch, but on multiple rewatches. Barbie pulls off the near-impossible task of taking what could have been merely a capitalist IP-driven cash grab and turned it into a celebration of and commentary on culture that gives the audience permission and encouragement to challenge not only everything they think Barbie represents, but what the world asks of us mere humans as well so that we never go back into the box again."
Oppenheimer also remains strong at the box office, earning $46 million in its second weekend. The latest Christopher Nolan movie has also been well-received by critics and audiences. ComicBook.com's Patrick Cavanaugh gave Oppenheimer a 4 out of 5 score in his review. He writes:
"After a long string of crowd-pleasers that also manage to inject ambitious philosophical and existential components, Oppenheimer is Christopher Nolan's most intellectual and internal experience in years. It showcases the universality of humanistic struggles without hingeing upon them entirely, while also subtly yet exponentially layering in explicit critiques of global war machines. Despite chronicling events that unfolded 70 years ago, exploring an arms race or being given conflicting information by government authorities and being expected to honor ever-changing ideologies feels immensely contemporary. With Oppenheimer, Nolan orchestrates a talented symphony of performers at the top of their game to explore an overlooked corner of history, treating it with nuance and respect while lesser hands would lean into melodrama. The movie is a tribute not only to the true-life figures who pushed the limits of science forward, but also to those who suffered the consequences of those forward-thinkers' quest for fire."
Meanwhile, Haunted Mansion will have a disappointing box-office debut. The Disney film based on the beloved theme park ride is expected to gross $27 million on the high end over the weekend after earning $9.9 million on Friday. ComicBook.com's Charlie Ridgely gave Haunted Mansion a 4-out-of-5 review. He writes:
"At long last, Haunted Mansion finally gets the adaptation the beloved ride has always deserved – a fun, scary, and surprisingly emotional time at the movies. It may not be a groundbreaking cinematic achievement like Gore Verbinski's first outing with Jack Sparrow, but it's certainly Disney's best live-action movie since Pirates of the Caribbean wrapped up its initial trilogy."
Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Haunted Mansion are playing in theaters now. The list of top 10 films at the box office this weekend is in the works.