LOS ANGELES - Warner Bros.' hit "Barbie" dominated North American box offices for a fourth consecutive week as director Greta Gerwig continues to bust industry records.
Gerwig, who with "Barbie" had already become the first solo woman director to rake in more than $1-billion at the global box office, this week became the highest-grossing woman director of all time in the domestic market, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Industry watcher Exhibitor Relations estimated this weekend's haul for "Barbie" at $33.7-million, bringing its domestic total to $526-million.
Gerwig is currently vying against Jennifer Lee, who co-directed the animated sequel to Disney's "Frozen" with Chris Buck, to be the highest-grossing woman director of all time at the global box office.
Starring Margot Robbie as the iconic doll and Ryan Gosling as boyfriend Ken, "Barbie" has earned a whopping $1.2-billion worldwide.
Universal's "Oppenheimer," a historical drama about the development of the atomic bomb, regained its second-place position, with the other half of the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon taking in an estimated $18.8-million over the weekend.
Last week "Oppenheimer" had been beaten by the Warner Bros. monster flick "Meg 2: The Trench," which fell to fourth this week with an estimated $12.7-million.
The success of "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" has come amid a backdrop of turmoil in Hollywood, as a historic double-strike by writers and actors has brought productions to a halt.
Third place this weekend went to Paramount's animated "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem," up one spot from the week before with $15.8-million.
In its debut weekend, Universal's vampire film "The Last Voyage of the Demeter" took a frighteningly distant fifth place, at just $6.5-million.
Based on Bram Stoker's classic "Dracula," the period film takes place on a doomed ship transporting the blood-sucker from his Eastern Europe home to England.