Barbenheimer: Vue reports sell out weekend at Gunwharf Quays as cinema gripped by Barbie and Oppenheimer fever

Vue International has said it had the biggest weekend for UK cinema ticket sales in four years. The cinema chain said Sunday that a fifth of its customers had purchased tickets to see both films in a double bill dubbed by social media as Barbenheimer.

The two films, released on Friday, have contrasting storylines, with Greta Gerwig’s comedy about the famous doll Barbie, and Christopher Nolan’s biographical thriller chronicling physicist J Robert Oppenheimer’s role in developing the first atomic bomb.

NOW READ: Carvalho's Kitchen and Belmon Kitchen in Havant both closed indefinitely following a fire last night

More than 2,000 of Vue’s screenings for Barbie were sold out, according to the company – with the Gunwharf Quays venue in Portsmouth being one of biggest sites for the film. Others include Cambridge, Glasgow St Enoch, Leeds Kirkstall, Cwmbran, Islington and Bolton.

The company said the film, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, will exceed ticket sales for Super Mario Bros and Oppenheimer to become the biggest film of the year. Tim Richards, chief executive and founder of Vue International, said: “Vue saw its highest weekend admissions since Avengers: Endgame in 2019 with the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, proving that when the movies are there, our customers will come to watch them on the big screen.

SEE ALSO: Work progresses on Tim Hortons

“Barbie is tracking to become the biggest film of 2023 and has a good chance of getting into the Top 10 highest grossing films of all time. It is an incredibly exciting moment for the industry, and we expect this trend to continue for the coming weeks.”

In total, the cinema chain had more than 4,000 sell-out sessions across the country during the weekend. Odeon reported on Thursday that more than 200,000 advance tickets had been bought and over 10,000 guests were expected to see both films during the opening weekend.

Universal Pictures said Oppenheimer, which stars Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh, had made £8.05 million in the UK and Ireland since Friday. The film production and distribution company said the biopic is on track to have a better opening three days than Nolan’s other blockbusters Dunkirk, Interstellar and Inception.