Cineplex says more than 60,000 people have already bought tickets for ‘Barbenheimer’

Cineplex says Canadians are taking to the whole ‘Barbenheimer’ craze in droves.

In data released to BNN Bloomberg, the theatre chain confirms that as of July 19th, nearly 345,000 advance tickets had already been sold for both Barbie and Oppenheimer. Further, over 60,000 (about 17 percent) of those tickets were for both movies, with 65 percent of that sum planning to see the movies on the same day.

Cineplex added that Barbie is 13 percent ahead in ticket sales, while the films collectively have generated more than $2.5 million in presales. Of course, all of this data doesn’t take into account people who have yet to purchase tickets online or in theatres, at Cineplex or elsewhere. Given that the movies aren’t even out yet, it’s likely that ‘Barbenheimer’ could also continue to perform well at the box office in the weeks to come, especially since word of mouth is strong for both films.

‘Barbenheimer’ has become the internet’s obsession in recent months due to the fact that both films are releasing on July 21st, yet they couldn’t be more different. Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, naturally, is as bright, colourful, and fun as you’d expect from the iconic fashion doll, while Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer is a harrowing World War II biopic about the creation of the atomic bomb. It’s quite a rare phenomenon. (For example, Nolan’s own The Dark Knight opened alongside Mamma Mia in July 2008 in a similar tonally disparate cinematic pairing, but the internet certainly wasn’t what it is now.)

Barbie, in particular, has benefited from viral marketing tactics, such as charming posters featuring the film’s various Barbies and Kens, which, in turn, led to people creating their own. In general, though, both films hail from celebrated filmmakers and have incredibly stacked casts. With Barbie, you have Margot Robbie, three Canadians (Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu and Michael Cera), Issa Rae and even Dua Lipa and John Cena, while Oppenheimer’s equally impressive ensemble includes Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey, Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett and Casey Affleck.

Clearly, both films are expected to dominate the box office, which Cineplex is no doubt happy about, especially considering it’s currently facing a lawsuit over its controversial online booking fee.

Are you planning to see Barbie, Oppenheimer, or both this weekend? Which movie are you most excited about? What kind of Ken or Barbie are you? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit: Warner Bros., Universal