Odeon has said one million customers are expected at its cinemas in the week following the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer.

Both films will be released on Friday, which has given rise to cinemagoers purchasing back-to-back tickets for what has been dubbed, Barbenheimer.

Odeon said thousands will see director Greta Gerwig’s comedy about the famous doll Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s biographical thriller on physicist J Robert Oppenheimer and his role in developing the first atomic bomb on the same day.

The film chain reports that more than 200,000 advance tickets were purchased and more than 10,000 guests are expected to see both films in opening weekend.

The company said both productions, which have stars including Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, are its biggest films of the year so far for advance sales.

Oppenheimer photocall- London
Oppenheimer stars Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy and Florence Pugh (Ian West/PA)

Suzie Welch, Odeon’s interim managing director of UK and Ireland, said: “We have been amazed by the response from guests in the run-up to this Friday, as excitement for the summer 2023 slate, led by Barbie, Oppenheimer and Mission: Impossible 7, continues to build, showcasing what the big-screen experience is all about.

“As we prepare for the biggest weekend of the year, whether you are dressed in roller blades and head-to-toe pink, preparing for a three-hour epic, or combining the two, we know that our guests are going to be both blown away and dazzled by the experience at Odeon.”

This follows Tom Cruise leading the third biggest weekend so far this year for Odeon, with Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning – Part One.

Odeon expects this weekend will be the biggest for the chain since superhero film Avengers: Endgame, starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo and Chris Hemsworth, in 2019.