The story behind Barbenheimer, the most online movie confrontation of the summer
The highly online showdown between Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” all started with a date: July 21.
It’s not unusual for studios to counter-program movies in different genres during a big weekend, but the stark differences between an intense, serious movie over the man who oversaw the development of the atomic bomb and a light-hearted, candy-colored anthropomorphization of a child doll quickly became the stuff of viral fodder.
There’s even some dispute over whether it’s “Barbieheimer” or “Barbenheimer” or “Boppenheimer” or yet another haunted portmanteau – a phenomenon the AP Stylebook has no guidance on yet, but for the purposes of this article it will” Barbenheimer”.
It didn’t hurt that both Nolan and Gerwig have very passionate and very online fandoms eager to get involved. Never mind that many of those fans overlap – the memes, allegiances, and t-shirts were just too much fun.
Both films are often popular on social media when the other releases a new asset: a trailer, a photo, an interview. On the one hand, it’s a marketing department’s dream. The awareness couldn’t be greater, the conversation couldn’t be louder, and neither movie even has official reviews yet.
“‘Barbenheimer’ is a marketing gimmick that comes from social media and I think it benefits both movies,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for analytics firm Comscore. “You’re definitely aware of both movies in a more profound and compelling way than I think would otherwise have happened had they been released on different weekends.”
AMC Theaters reported that 20,000 of its AMC Stubs members had purchased tickets for a double feature film. If you’re counting, that’s 294 minutes of movie watching. Even Margaret Robbie – Barbie herself – and TomCruise, the star of another summer hit, have started planning the ideal “Barbenheimer” day.
“It’s a perfect double bill,” Robbie said at the premiere of her film in London on Wednesday. “I think you basically start your day with ‘Barbie,’ then go straight to ‘Oppenheimer,’ and then a ‘Barbie’ chaser.”
Cruise – whose “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” opened just over a week before the “Barbenheimer” showdown – said at its premiere that he planned to see both on their opening day, likely starting with “Oppenheimer,” which also seems to be the internet’s favorite viewing order.
‘Barbie’ actor Issa Rae think there is a reason for that.
“I think there’s a very specific order in which you see them. If you see ‘Oppenheimer’ last, you might be a bit of a psychopath,” she stated at the London premiere.
The confrontation has turned everyone into armchair marketing experts, quickly scrutinizing Warner Bros.’s every move. and Universal – as if it were possible to compare two extraordinarily different campaigns.
There are endless possibilities for it very pink, sparkling photo opportunities, whimsical brand partnerships for seemingly everything from underwear to pool floats, large-scale fan events featuring book signings and pop stars such as Billy Eilish posting about the soundtrack. In other words, the “Barbie” campaign could go nuclear.
“Oppenheimer” has the bomb, the tantalizing mystery and the big screen hook, but it’s not the kind of movie that lends itself to, say, a frozen yogurt collaboration.
Is the match real, or just a meme? Some in Hollywood wondered if Warner Bros. over the weekend had portrayed “Barbie” as a contempt for Nolan, who had opened many films for the studio in that hallway, including “Inception.” and “Dunkirk.” He left Warner Bros. amid the controversial decision to send movies to streaming for a year and made “Oppenheimer” with Universal instead. But a targeted box office war doesn’t exactly make sense for a studio that has recently talked about trying to lure Nolan back.
There’s an unspoken code of conduct: Never get angry about another studio’s film, at least in public. This is decorum in part, especially when it comes to “box office showdowns,” which everyone will say is a creation of the press and spectators on the sidelines. But it’s also rooted in some truth: the conventional thinking is that it’s good to watch one movie before other movies – you see their posters and trailers, and on some level everyone benefits.
And thanks to social media, movie stars can get in on the game, too. After reports that Cruise was annoyed about the latest “Mission: Impossible” losing its IMAX screens to “Oppenheimer” after just a week, Cruise posted photos of herself and director Christopher McQuarrie stand for posters in front “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Fate,” “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer”, with tickets for each.
“This summer is full of great movies to see in theaters. These are just a few we can’t wait to see on the big screen,” Cruise’s Instagram caption read.
The official accounts for “Indiana Jones,” “Barbie,” and “Oppenheimer” responded with supportive comments. Gerwig and Robbie even followed up with a similar photo series a few days later, which the official “Oppenheimer” Instagram account reposted in its stories. Cillian Murphy, charged with playing Oppenheimer, told the AP at his movie’s London premiere that he would “of course” see “Barbie.” The sporting cross-promotion between four studios – Universal, Warner Bros., Disney and Paramount – is something the movie world has never seen before.
“Tom Cruise is not only the biggest box office star in the world, but he is also an incredible ambassador for the cinema, for the cinema experience and for promoting other films,” said Dergarabedian. “And that collegial atmosphere in the context of what is seen as the highly competitive box office derby is quite nice.”
Still, everyone loves a No. 1 debut, and both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” reportedly carry $100 million production price tags (not including the millions spent on marketing). As far as follow cash register goes, “Barbie” has it in the bag with predictions showing it could open more than $90 million in North America. “Oppenheimer,” meanwhile, follows in the $40 million range. Then there’s the wildcard of it “Mission: Impossible 7s” second weekend, which could take second place.
Even with a second- or third-place start, “Oppenheimer” could be destined for a long, steady, profitable run-up to awards season. The adult audience for R-rated movies isn’t often the ones who pack the cinema the first weekend.
In 2008, in the middle of the recession, Warner Bros. and Universal on the same weekend in July with another Nolan movie that went against a lighthearted tidbit: “The Dark Knight” and “Mamma Mia!” — both of which became hugely profitable (although Nolan did win the first weekend).
The bigger concern is what has been billed as Hollywood’s post-pandemic comeback summer has had more ups and downs than anyone could have hoped. That puts quite a bit of pressure on “Barbenheimer” to outperform and the lagging summer cash register, which pales in comparison to the bigger problems facing the industry while actors join the striking writers.
But with just over a week to go, it’s still a source of amusement. Even the “Barbie” co-star. Will Ferrell threw down the gauntlet in his winking manner at the London premiere.
“I think the world might want to see ‘Barbie’ a little more now,” Ferrell said. “Just say it!”
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AP journalist Sian Watson contributed from London.
