Barbenheimer: Oppenheimer & Barbie Tracking for Explosive Box Office Weekend

Rejoice, dear reader! For "Barbenheimer" — the blockbuster event prophesied for months by cinematic soothsayers — is almost upon us! Rejoice, we say! For the day of theatrical salvation approaches!

Once Friday (July 21) rolls around, two of the biggest and star-studded studio tentpoles of the year will go head-to-head at the box office. Or will they? As IGN points out, the showdown between Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures) and Barbie (Warner Bros.) sounds less like a heated competition and more like a counter-programming masterstroke between two of the biggest kids on the Hollywood playground.  

RELATED: Christopher Nolan Calls Barbenheimer Double Feature "Terrific" Idea

If all goes well, both films will walk away from the weekend flush with cash from at least 20,000 audience members eager to spend their hard-earned riches on a dichotomized double feature following a year full of viral internet memes and high-profile celebrity endorsements.

Box office projections for Oppenheimer and Barbie, aka "Barbenheimer"

Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst at Comscore, describes it to SYFY WIRE as "the weekend that will define the summer movie season of '23," going on to add that "Barbenheimer" buzz "has taken on a life of its own and put a spotlight on two very different movies, thus raising the awareness level of both of these very different films to an unprecedented level."

According to Variety, Christopher Nolan's atomic bomb thriller is tracking for a North American debut of about $50 million — a respectable showing for an introspective and R-rated drama spanning just over three hours. Greta Gerwig's candy-colored PG-13 extravaganza centered around the most famous doll in the world is on pace to bring in between $95 to $110 million domestically.

"The focus will now shift from the marketing message to the movies' box office performance and will test whether or not all the zeitgeist-dominating fun and cultural buzz of 'Barbenheimer' will translate to actual theatrical revenue," Dergarabedian continues. "No matter the outcome, this is a movie marketing rarity and a 'Halley's Comet' moment of sorts that only comes along once in a lifetime. The question now for both Barbie and Oppenheimer is how big of a box office payoff the 'Barbenheimer' phenomenon will provide to both movies this weekend and beyond."

Oppenheimer and Barbie exclusively hit the big screen this Friday, July 21. Head over to Fandango to pick up tickets for each!

Want more blockbuster thrills in the meantime? Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Da Vinci Code, The Hunger Games, Fast Five, Jurassic World, Knock at the Cabin, Cocaine Bear, Renfield, and more are now streaming on Peacock!