The Barbie film has become the US and Canada's biggest film of the year so far, said distributor Warner Bros.

Axar.az reports that an estimated $155m (£120m) was made in its opening weekend, the company said.

Meanwhile, new release Oppenheimer - also out on Friday - made $93.7m (£72m) in the US, said Universal Pictures.

The features come at a time when cinemas in general are struggling as they lose out to competition from streaming.

Oppenheimer's plot is centred on the development of the first atomic bomb, starring Cillian Murphy and directed by Christopher Nolan.

Meanwhile, Barbie, which was directed by Greta Gerwig, tells a coming-of-age story of the children's character where she explores her identity and encourages boyfriend Ken to establish individuality.

The two films were both released on Friday and the competition between them both was referred to on social media as "Barbenheimer".

The opening weekend for Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has seen its ticket sales overtake that for the opening weekend of blockbuster Super Mario Bros, making Barbie the biggest film of 2023 so far.

Worldwide, Barbie's debut took in $337m (£293m) worldwide.