Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ and Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of ‘Barbie’, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, are set to release in Indian cinemas this Friday, July 21. With tremendous hype surrounding both films, advance booking indicators suggest a strong opening in India.
Oppenheimer’s advance booking began 10 days ago and received an overwhelming response within the first few hours. As of Monday, a film trade analyst reported that the film has already booked 90,000 tickets for the opening day across all three major chains – PVR, INOX, and Cinepolis – including IMAX screens. On the other hand, Barbie, which started its advance booking more recently, has shown a promising start, with 54,000 tickets already sold across the three chains for the opening day.
Nearly 54,000 tickets were sold on BookMyShow with Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Chennai, and Kolkata in the lead as bookings continue to open across other screens and theatres across India.
Ashish Saksena, COO – Cinemas, BookMyShow, said, “July has been a crackling month at the cinemas filled with excitement and anticipation. It’s especially heartening that Hollywood films have been doing so well. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (MI 7) set the tempo, followed by the most anticipated box-office duel between Oppenheimer and Barbie.”
He continued, “While both the films are creating a buzz worldwide, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has started off on a very impressive note in India, as advance sales for the film on IMAX screens opened up much earlier than usual, therefore naturally taking the lead in sales. The film has crossed over 300,000 tickets in advance sales on BookMyShow, since tickets went live three weeks ago.”
Many cinephiles have booked their tickets to both these upcoming, much-anticipated Hollywood movies. On BookMyShow, it has been observed that 8 per cent of transactors for ‘Oppenheimer’ have also booked tickets for ‘Barbie’, with a large chunk opting to watch both films on the same day. It was also noted that 22 per cent of transactors for ‘Oppenheimer’ are the ones who have watched ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’.
Reportedly, when Christopher Nolan was asked about watching Barbie during a press event for ‘Oppenheimer’, he responded with a simple “no,” displaying a hint of disinterest. Though further probed, Nolan declined to address the question directly but expressed satisfaction with the diverse movie offerings in the theatrical marketplace. He believes that a crowded marketplace with multiple movies is something theater-goers have longed for, and anyone who cares about movies should be thrilled about it.
Interestingly, Cillian Murphy, who plays the lead in Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, expressed his excitement about watching ‘Barbie’, stating that he would definitely see it. Murphy believes that having two amazing films by amazing filmmakers releasing on the same day is great for the industry and audiences alike, allowing people to spend the entire day in the cinema.