Cinemas in Malta were pleasantly surprised over the weekend, with screenings for the new Barbie film sold out, as pretty-in-pink filmgoers filled their theatres to watch the anticipated blockbuster. 

It was a busy weekend for cinemas across the world, as two highly anticipated films- Warner Bros' fun and colourful Barbie - and Universal’s dark and serious biopic Oppenheimer - were released on Friday.

Despite the difference in tone, massive crowds flocked to their local theatres to watch both films on the same day.

Pretty in pink for Barbie.

In Malta, the film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling hit theatres on Friday, and both the Eden and Embassy Cinemas hosted their own all-pink, all-glamour premieres. 

Whether to rekindle childhood memories or to beat the scorching summer heat, both theatres reported positive reactions to the event. 

“I’ve never seen so much pink before,” the managing director of Eden Leisure Group, Kevin De Cesare told Times of Malta. 

“The cinema was full, and it was a pleasant surprise to see all the different people who came to watch the film. At first, we thought more children and their parents would come, but that wasn’t the case. Everyone who grew up with Barbie or was into it came to the cinema.”

The first shows were sold out within hours, and the St Julian’s cinema had to introduce extra screenings to cater for the demand. 

Kate De Cesare, director of operations at Eden Leisure Group, said the reaction to the premiere was "great" and girls, women and even some men tried to find the right shade of pink to wear to the screening. 

“We had a sea of pink in our foyer,” she said. 

Eden Cinema had it's own life-size 'Barbie box' were enthusiastic fans could snap a picture. Photo: Eden Cinema Facebook

“We dressed it up with a ‘pink’ carpet, a Barbie box for photo opportunities and had animators roaming around. We expected Barbie to be a success and the nearer we reached open night, the bigger we knew it would be.”

She said reactions to the film have also been "super-positive" since over-hyped films can be disappointing.

Embassy Ltd head of marketing and HR Chris Borg echoed the same positive feedback. 

“We had two sold-out theatres from a week and a half before our premiere,” he said. 

The Valletta cinema hosted its ‘Barbie Pink Night’, which also included a life-sized Barbie box for excited filmgoers to strike a pose and the foyer decked in different shades of pink.

Borg said the positive pre-sales was a sign that cinema is recovering well after the pandemic, considering it was one of the worst-hit industries. 

Barbie, starring Margot Robbie has captivated the imagination of the internet this summer. Photo: IMDB

“It also shows that good product brings people to the cinema and many still want the cinema experience despite the improvement of home cinema technology in recent years. Cinema is a social activity, and this is another reason why people still do want to visit the cinema to watch films.”

Both De Cesare and Borg noted that Barbie had the biggest opening weekend since Spider-Man: No Way Home premiered back in 2021. 

Brikkuni lead singer Mario Vella had to walk away from the cinema on Sunday when he was informed that no seats for Barbie were available. 

“And I wasn’t the only disappointed punter there. There was a whole line of ticket-hungry Barbie enthusiasts all clad in pink, including a glorious looking drag queen rueing their misfortune,” he wrote on Facebook.

Ticket sales for Oppenheimer positive

The R-rated, three-hour Oppenheimer will premiere locally this Wednesday, and both cinemas have already seen a positive pre-ticket sale for the screening. 

“Oppenheimer should do well, tickets are selling fast and we’re having a lot of demand for this film, which some are saying that it’s Christopher Nolan’s best film so far,” Borg said.

Kate De Cesare also noted ticket sales are doing well for the film, but it won’t come close to Barbie.

Borg said that following the great response to both films, he predicts they could end up the most-viewed films of the year. 

"It's a bit early to confirm this, as we need to see how long this enthusiasm will last, although I am positive that it will for a number of weeks," he said. 

It’s not the first time Oppenheimer’s director, Christopher Nolan was the centre of a similar pop-culture phenomenon. 

Fifteen years ago, on July 18, 2008, Nolan released The Dark Knight, and that same weekend, the popular ABBA musical Mamma Mia! also, hit the big screen, with both films making a big splash at the box office.