The hype is real: ‘Barbie’ takes No. 1 at box office

Moviegoers are partying with “Barbie,” with the much-hyped comedy landing No. 1 at the box office with $70.5 million in sales in its first two days. 

The Greta Gerwig-directed film, which The Post panned as a “self-absorbed and overwrought disappointment,” brought in $22.2 million in preview ticket sales on Thursday, followed by another $48.2 million with its Friday premiere on more than 4,200 screens, according to IMDB’s Box Office Mojo.

Director Christopher Nolan’s biopic “Oppenheimer,” which delves into the life of the developer of the atom bomb, exploded into the number two spot, raking in $33 million in opening day sales, including $10.5 million from Thursday previews.  

The historical drama, starring Cillian Murphy as scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer, is “that rarest of things: a sophisticated and bracing movie that’s made for adults and makes nobody say, ‘I’ll wait till it’s on streaming,’” The Post raved.

The volume was turned down a bit on “Sound of Freedom,” which fell from second last week to the No. 3 spot and earned just over $5.7 million. 

The film, based on the true story of anti-trafficking activist Timothy Ballard and released by faith-based Angel Studios, has brought in more than $110 million at the box office without any international distribution, Box Office Mojo data show. 

“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One,” the seventh installment of Tom Cruise as Impossible Mission Force agent Ethan Hunt, led the box office last week, but plummeted to fourth this week, with $5.56 million in sales.

In fifth place is the supernatural horror film “Insidious: The Red Door,” taking in just under $2.1 million as it fell from third last week.