‘Oppenheimer’ tops ‘Barbie’ in Indian theaters
New Delhi, Jul 21 (EFE).- The film “Oppenheimer” topped “Barbie” on Friday in advance ticket sales in India, among the largest film markets in the world and one of the few countries where Cristopher Nolan’s movie has generated greater excitement than the world’s most famous doll.
Nolan’s film crossed 300,000 tickets in the three main film chains of the country in the online sale platform BookMyShow, which was at least three times more than the Margot Robbie starrer.
“While both the films are creating a buzz worldwide, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has started off on a very impressive note in India, as advance sales for the film on IMAX screens opened up much earlier than usual,” said BookMyShow’s commercial head Ashish Saksena.
Although both productions are expected to be a success in the Western market, Barbie appears to enjoy greater popularity.
According to estimates by the Indian specialized media Pinkvilla, both feature films are projected to rake in revenues to the tune of $2.4 million at the box office in the top three national chains for the opening day on Friday.
Oppenheimer’s figures surpass those of Mission Impossible 7, Tom Cruise’s highest grossing film in India, which at its premiere on July 12 sold 28,000 tickets on the top three national film chains, according to Pinkvilla.
The public enthusiasm for Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, could be seen in one of New Delhi’s main theaters, which had sold out all tickets for the screenings of the film on Friday and much of the weekend.
On the other hand, a few tickets were still available for Barbie screening on Friday, while many more remained to be sold for the upcoming weekend in the Indian capital.
India is the world’s leading film market by number of tickets sold, with more than 980 million tickets sold in 2022, surpassing all tickets sold in China, the United States, Mexico and Japan.
Although the Indian market is dominated by Bollywood productions, cinema chains ensure that Hollywood productions also get enough space. EFE
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