Masses of pink and black are taking over social media. Two movies from two vastly different worlds of filmmaking. But these two movies are more than just black and pink. It’s a phenomenon that could bring cinema back and influence the box office as we know it.
The same-day release of Greta Gerwigs Barbie and Christopher Nolans Oppenheimer allowed casual movie watchers and the most pretentious of film buffs all to flock to theaters and witness history be made- a whopping $300 million combined opening weekend. The combined opening made it the fourth highest-grossing weekend in U.S. cinema history.
The internet is raving over the sugary pink feminist anthem and its 3-hour-long nuclear weapon rival. So much so that the term “Barbenhiemer” has been coined and regularly used to reference the box office opening weekend. Barbenhimer has sparked so much attention cultivating memes, controversy and trends all across social media that it strips the two movies of their individuality, making the viewing experience almost more meme than the movie. Nevertheless, the phenomenon has proved to be a marketing goldmine, benefitting both of the films in the engagement they’ve received worldwide.
Neybia Hernandez, a senior who is a self-proclaimed cinephile, stated that the hype surrounding the movies definitely wouldn’t be as big as it was without the Barbenhiemer trend.
“I loved both of the films. Barbie was definitely one of my favorites of the year. I liked Oppenheimer as well, but would I have seen it if Barbenhiemer wasn’t all over the internet? Probably not. The movies wouldn’t have been as big as they are without this.” Hernandez said.
Gerwig and star Margot Robbie have even allowed themselves to play into the bit, showcasing their tickets for Oppenheimer, with Mr. Oppenheimer himself Cillian Murphy not far behind them showing his support for Barbie.
“I think it’s just great for the industry and for audiences that we have two amazing films by amazing filmmakers coming out on the same day.” Murphy said.
