Dubbed "Barbenheimer," the simultaneous release of the highly anticipated films "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" has sparked a cultural sensation, with moviegoers planning double-feature trips to cinemas. Erik Davis, the managing director at Fandango, describes this weekend as an instant pop culture phenomenon and the most anticipated weekend of the year.

While the two films, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer," have vastly different storylines – with the former focusing on the iconic Mattel doll navigating life beyond Barbie Land, and the latter documenting the father of the atomic bomb's creation of the first nuclear weapons – both have garnered immense interest from audiences. This excitement comes as a much-needed boost for the domestic box office, as recent big-budget releases have fallen short of expectations.

Heading into the weekend, "Barbie" is expected to achieve at least $90 million in domestic ticket sales, with some box office analysts projecting the film's earnings to reach as high as $140 million. On the other hand, "Oppenheimer" is predicted to secure between $40 million and $60 million.

Together, these two films have the potential to generate a staggering $200 million in their opening frame. When combined with ticket sales from other anticipated movies like "Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One," "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse," and "Sound of Freedom," this weekend could become the highest-grossing one of the year thus far.