Barbie and Oppenheimer release marks 'busiest weekend by a mile' for Belfast cinemas

This weekend records are expected to be broken at box offices across Northern Ireland as thousands of film fans flock to the big screen to catch a glimpse of two summer blockbusters.

Barbie and Oppenheimer were both released on Friday - dubbed 'Barbenheimer Day' by social media users.

So far, it's been a tight competition to the ticket top spot at cinemas in Belfast.

"It's the biggest, busiest weekend we've had since we opened by a mile," said Elpitha Lyssary.

The Marketing Manager at The Avenue Cinema in Belfast city centre said they currently have 48 scheduled viewings for both movies and all of them are sold out.

"It's a completely sold out weekend," she added.

"Opening on the same day means people are flocking in.

"It's great to see the buzz and also we've had a lot of people turning up and wearing pink."

Meanwhile over in east Belfast, The Strand cinema is expecting around a thousand people to pass through its doors by Sunday night.

The cinema's Mimi Turtle said Barbie has more of a "got to see it first" vibe compared to Oppenheimer.

"Oppenheimer is three hours long so people have to consciously timetable it in to their schedule, but the reviews are fantastic," she explained.

"We still expect there to be lots of people coming to see Oppenheimer in three or four weeks' time.

"Barbie has had a lot of hype and marketing and having a couple of big-hitters released on the same day is great to see.

"People get really enthusiastic for film again and it gets them out."

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