'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' could be struggling movie theaters' last chance to make money this summer

• Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" come out on July 21.
• The films are attracting massive online buzz, with many fans planning to see both on the same day.

Struggling movie theaters might see "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" – which both come out July 21 – as their last chance to make money this summer.

A pink toy doll and the man who became "Death, destroyer of worlds" would have been seen as unlikely saviors of the cinema industry a few months ago – but massive, meme-fueled online enthusiasm has delivered a huge boost to their box-office appeal.

The two films – which many movie fans plan to see back-to-back – are expected to bring in over $130 million combined on their opening weekend alone, according to data from Box Office Pro.

Forecasters think "Barbie" will be the highest-grossing film in the US this summer with earnings between $215 million and $319 million, the data shows.

"Oppenheimer" is projected to bring in less money than its plastic, fantastic rival but is still expected to gross between $154 million and $194 million and become the summer's third most successful film.

Sandwiching the two movies on Box Office Pro's leaderboard is Tom Cruise's latest "Mission Impossible" flick.

If all three of those films bomb, theaters' last hopes to make money this summer will be "Haunted Mansion," the new "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film, and "Meg 2: The Trench" – none of which are expected to gross over $150 million.

Theater chains have made attempts to cash in on the Barbie-Oppenheimer hype, with AMC already selling 20,000 tickets to members who want to see both on the same day and Alamo Drafthouse launching promotions that encourage fans to watch the two movies back-to-back.

The double-bill comes at a time when their businesses are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, over two years after the US lifted most lockdown restrictions.

AMC has lost money for 15 consecutive quarters, while Cineworld – which owns Regal Cinemas – filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year.

While "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" and "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" both performed strongly at the box office earlier this year, more recent releases including "The Flash" and the latest "Indiana Jones" struggled, meaning they're unlikely to boost the theater chains' earnings.