Oppenheimer box office collection Day 3: Christopher Nolan's love affair with India continues!

Christopher Nolan's latest expedition has gotten off to a great start at the Indian box office. Here are a few numbers to put things in perspective

There was no doubt that Christopher Nolan's epic Oppenheimer would get a tremendous reception in India, considering how popular and revered the filmmaker is in the country. Nolan's body of work, especially films like The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception and Interstellar, has attracted great fanfare. And his returning to the box office carrying a massive IMAX spectacle in Oppenheimer meant that the pre-release hype would be amped up significantly.

But the journey this time around was not promised to be as smooth as before and that's because of the stiff challenge posed by Greta Gerwig's Barbie. The satire drama starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was billed as a super strong contender in this Barbenheimer bout and several Hollywood trade analysts even predicted the film to score a $80-100 million opening weekend at the US Box Office.

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Oppenheimer, on the other hand, was expected to collect about $50 million during the weekend, with its R-rating and 3-hour runtime factored in.

But things have fared in a starkly opposite manner in India, with Chris Nolan & co. emerging clear winners by a considerable distance. According to the latest trade reports, Oppenheimer has grossed over Rs. 31 crores in just two days. While the opening day of July 21 fetched about Rs. 14.50 crores (including Rs. 1.75 crores earned by the Hindi version), Day #2 of the theatrical run has yielded Rs. 17 crores.

Barbie, on the other hand, has gotten off to a comparatively slow start with Rs. 11.50 crores (approx.) collections on the first two days. The same reports estimate that the film will close the opening weekend at close to Rs. 18 crores. Oppenheimer could further extend its mammoth lead by seeing the three-day opening weekend at a little under Rs. 50 crores!

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At the US box office, though, Barbie is clearly the winner and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Greta Gerwig's film has opened to exceptional results with $70.5 million on the opening day alone (including $22.3 million in previews). This means that the film could collect over $150 million by the end of the weekend whereas Oppenheimer is eyeing a $75-80 million opening weekend.

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