'Barbie' movie debut shines even brighter as final tally rises

Barbie's record-breaking debut at cinemas over the weekend landed higher than initial estimates with $162 million in ticket sales in the US and Canada, distributor Warner Bros said.

The final Friday to Sunday tally for the Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling was slightly higher than the $155 million the studio estimated on Sunday.

Barbie is the No.1 movie of the year based on domestic opening weekend sales, beating the $146.4 million haul for April release The Super Mario Bros. Movie.

Director Greta Gerwig's take on the Mattel Inc doll also added $194.3 million in 63 international markets for a global debut of $356.3 million.

Barbie faced off against director Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer in a box office battle dubbed "Barbenheimer".

Final numbers also rose for Oppenheimer. The story of the making of the atomic bomb brought in $82.4 million in the US and Canada from Friday through Sunday, up from the earlier estimate of $80.5 million.

In 78 international markets, Oppenheimer collected nearly $98.0 million for a global total of $180.4 million.

Both movies beat expectations and helped the US and Canadian box office surpass $300 million for just the fourth time in history.