Margot Robbie in Barbie and Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.Jaap Buitendijk © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. / Universal Pictures
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were the top two films in Ireland and the British territories in 2023. According to ComScore statistics.
The two films, which were released on the same day in July and superseded the ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, pushed the combined Irish and UK box office receipts in 2023 to £1,062,047,498 and in 2022. 8% increase from the total of 980,516,136 pounds.
2023 is the first year since the pandemic that box office receipts in Ireland and the British Territory exceeded £1 billion, with Comscore calling this a “significant milestone on the road to full recovery”.
Before the pandemic, annual box office receipts in Ireland and the British Territory each exceeded £1.3 billion in the five years to 2019.
ComScore noted that the Republic of Ireland had the highest year-on-year growth rate of the five countries that make up the United Kingdom and Ireland territory, with box office revenue increasing by 13% compared to 2022.
Final enrollment numbers for 2023 are not yet known, but will likely exceed 130 million, up slightly from 127 million in 2022, according to ComScore.
According to Comscore, the top 10 British and Irish movies of 2023 are:
(Data from January 6, 2023 to January 4, 2024)
- Barbie (Warner Bros.): £95.5m
- ‘Oppenheimer’ (Universal): £58.7m
- Super Mario Bros. Movie (Universal): £54.8 million
- Wonka (Warner Bros.): £49.2m – still in release
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Disney): £36.7m
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Sony): £30.7m
- The Little Mermaid (Disney): £27.4m
- Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 (Paramount): £26.6m
- ‘Puss in Boots: The Last Wish’ (Universal): £26m
- Avatar: The Way of Water (Disney): £25.5m in 2023 (£77.3m lifetime)
Comscore pointed to a “strong” summer in 2023 for the Irish and UK box office, adding: “This was followed by a 2020 surge in sales for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which soared to over £50m in April. There seemed to be very few titles to compete with.”
“Things all changed in July, when ‘Barbie’ crossed the £50m mark in just 11 days, and was joined by ‘Oppenheimer’ a month after its release.
“Film students will no doubt be analyzing the summer of 2023 for years to come. The backstage releases of ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ are the key to audience segmentation and viral marketing.” It provides the perfect case study.”
Meanwhile, ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’ are also proving to be award favorites this season.
On January 7, Oppenheimer won five Golden Globe Awards, including Best Actor in a Drama for Cork’s Cillian Murphy. “Barbie” was nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, but ultimately won only the New Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture and Best Box Office.
Murphy has been making quite a splash at the Oscars since Oppenheimer bowed out in the summer. Oscar nominations will be announced on January 23rd.