The two most anticipated Hollywood films of the year, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, are set to clash at the Indian box office this weekend. Both films are very different in tone and genre, yet both are expected to draw large crowds. Christopher Nolan’s directorial is a historical drama about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist who led the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb. The film stars Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., and Matt Damon. It is directed by Nolan, who is known for his epic, visually stunning films such as Inception and Dunkirk.
On the other hand, Barbie is a live-action comedy about the iconic doll. The film stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Emma Mackey, Simu Liu, and Kate McKinnon. It is directed by Gerwig, who is known for her acclaimed films such as Lady Bird and Little Women. Advance booking trends in India suggest that Oppenheimer is currently the frontrunner. The film has sold over 90,000 tickets for its opening day, while Barbie has sold only around 16,000 tickets.
But the ticket pricing is definitely going to affect the Box Office numbers of the films. As per Book My Show, the costliest ticket for Oppenheimer is priced at Rs 2450, in a PVR. Despite being costly and recliner price, the category is sold out for the opening day. In the same theatre, the same recliner is priced at 1380!
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This clearly means that Oppenheimer tickets are almost 56 percent higher than Barbie tickets for the same set of seats! This is an average difference between the ticket prices of the two films. However, owing to the low prices, Barbie’s advance booking numbers could pick up in the coming days.
But as of now, clearly, Oppenheimier seems to win the battle by a huge margin. There are a few reasons why the Cillian Murphy film may be generating more buzz in India than Barbie. Nolan is a much bigger name in India than Gerwig. His films have always been popular with Indian audiences, and Oppenheimer is expected to be no different. Also, it is a more serious film than Barbie. It is a historical drama about a major event in world history, while Barbie is a light-hearted comedy about a fashion doll, but it might later appeal to a wider audience in India.
Barbie could surprise everyone and become a huge hit. However, based on the current advance booking trends, Oppenheimer is the film to beat.
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