Cineplex says the dual box office phenomenon of “Barbenheimer,” the release of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie on July 21, helped propel the company to a record-breaking July.

The theatre chain surpassed $86 million in net box office revenues for the month as some 6.8 million moviegoers across Canada visited Cineplex theatres during the month, according to a news release issued Tuesday (Aug. 1). In comparison, Cineplex earned $65.6 million in the same period in 2022, and $76.9 million in July 2019.

Additionally, July 2023 is now Cineplex’s second-biggest month ever, second only to December 2015, which saw the release of Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens. The feature is listed as the highest-grossing film of all time at the domestic box office on Box Office Mojo.

The Canadian theatrical chain said week-over-week attendance for “Barbenheimer” remained strong. Barbie generated the highest July attendance for Cineplex, with Oppenheimer and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One coming in second and third, respectively. Also performing strong in the month is international title, Carry On Jatta 3, which cracked Cineplex’s top ten.

The simultaneous release of Barbie and Oppenheimer on July 21 saw Cineplex reach its highest summer box office weekend of all time, bringing in more than $19 million in revenue and welcoming 1.4 million customers to its Canadian theatres, said Cineplex in a release issued July 24.

Cineplex said more than 80,000 moviegoers caught the “Barbenheimer” double feature on the films’ opening weekend, making it the second-highest grossing box office weekend of all time for the cinema chain.

Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures