“Barbie” has become the “year's biggest movie” in the United States and Canada, according to the film’s distributor Warner Bros.

The movie generated an estimated $155 million in its first weekend, according to the distributor, reports BBC.

Also read: Barbie movie: Their life in plastic looks fantastic

Meanwhile, Universal Pictures said that “Oppenheimer”, which was also released on Friday, grossed $93.7 million in the United States.

The films arrive at a time when cinemas in general are faltering as a result of streaming competition.

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Vue said both films contributed to the cinema chain's busiest weekend in four years.

Vue, which operates 91 theatres throughout the UK and Ireland, had its best weekend in four years and the second best weekend in history in terms of admissions, with filmmaker Greta Gerwig's “Barbie” set to be the largest film of 2023, surpassing “Super Mario Bros”, said the report.

Also read: Margot Robbie to play Barbie in live-action film

The narrative of “Oppenheimer”, starring Cillian Murphy and directed by Christopher Nolan, is about the building of the first atomic bomb.

Meanwhile, “Barbie” delivers a children's character's coming-of-age narrative in which she explores her personality and helps pal Ken to develop uniqueness.

Also read: Why is the Barbie movie banned in Vietnam?

Both films were released on Friday, and the rivalry between them was dubbed "Barbenheimer" on social media.