"Barbie" has biggest opening day of 2023, "Oppenheimer" not far behind

Director Greta Gerwig's all-pink "Barbie" had a glamorous estimated opening day at the box office Friday, bringing in $70.5 million — the biggest opening for any film in 2023 so far.

The massive figure, reported by Variety, beat out June's "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," which made $51.8 million on its opening. The number combines the $22.2 million "Barbie" earned in previews on Thursday, and $42.8 million on Friday, playing in 4,243 theaters.

"Barbie," a Warner Bros. Discovery movie — and Mattel's first foray into the film industry — had an intense marketing campaign leading up to its release — from a real life Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu, to licensing deals with fast food chains. And based on its box office success, it paid off.