Why Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer may not perform better than Barbie internationally

Oppenheimer and Barbie are set to clash at the box office on July 21.  This has created a buzz in the industry. As per trade analysts, the Christopher Nolan directorial is expected to outperform Barbie by a big margin in India. However, they feel that the situation will be the exact opposite in international markets. 

3 things you need to know: 

• Oppenheimer is the latest offering by the British filmmaker Christopher Nolan. 
• Barbie comes from the American filmmaker Greta Gerwig.
• Both Gerwig and Nolan hold several Academy Award nominations.

Why Barbie won’t outperform Oppenheimer in India

While speaking with Republic Digital, trade analyst Ramesh Bala said that Barbie has an international appeal. He said that Barbie as a brand is more “culturally” in tune with American sensibilities.  This is ‘missing’ when it comes to India.  “In the U.S., Barbie is bigger than Oppenheimer and more culturally tuned to the American public. Unfortunately in India, the connection is missing,” he said.

(Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie features Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles. | Image: Twitter)

Trade analyst Sumit Kadel, on the other hand, spoke about the competition between Oppenheimer and Barbie on their opening days. He said that in India, Oppenheimer could collect between Rs 10-15 crore on its opening day.  Barbie, on the other hand, is headed for a Rs 4-5 crore opening day.  Both films face fierce competition from Mission: Impossible 7, and  Satyaprem Ki Katha in India.

There may be direct competition between Barbie and Oppenheimer in international markets. “Maybe in international markets, I agree, there is competition,” said Kadel.

Does India have an audience for Barbie?

Speaking about the clash, Ramesh Bala said that there is an audience for Barbie in India. He noted that women from different subgroups will be excited about the film. However, the Indian audience is more inclined towards action/superhero flicks along the lines of Mission: Impossible, Fast and Furious and Marvel Cinematic Universe films. 

“Usually action movies and superhero movies like Mission: Impossible, Fast and Furious and MCU do well in India because our country is not very sophisticated,” said Ramesh Bala.

(Directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer has Cillian Murphy in the lead role. | Image: Twitter)

Kadel said that Barbie, as a film, does not have the same popularity as that of the dolls, or comic books based on the titular character do. He added that the film will open to Rs 4-5 crores owing to Tier-1 city audiences. “

I assume that it’s going to get an opening in the range of Rs 4-5 crores, at max, and that too in multiplexes, and in big cities like Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, and Bangalore,” said the analyst