‘Barbenheimer’ frenzy gives sluggish summer box office a major boost

LOS ANGELES: The much-hyped “Barbenheimer” box office battle over the weekend proved to be a win for movie theaters that needed to add some sizzle to their summer.

Ticket sales for the film industry’s biggest season had been disappointing through much of June and July. “The Flash” flopped, a new “Indiana Jones” adventure underwhelmed, and Tom Cruise’s latest “Mission: Impossible” movie opened short of expectations. Hollywood also is grappling with strikes by writers and actors.

Enter “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” two polar opposite movies that debuted simultaneously in a matchup dubbed “Barbenheimer.”

“Barbie” stars Margot Robbie in a brightly colored comedy about the iconic doll, while “Oppenheimer” tells a haunting story about the making of the atomic bomb.