Cinematic victory for Hollywood: Coppola on ‘Barbenheimer’ war
The ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomena has taken the globe by storm as both Barbie and Oppenheimer have become two of the biggest and most discussed films of 2023. Amid that success, Academy award-winning filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, has called the ‘Barbenheimer’ war a victory for Hollywood.
Taking to his social media, the Godfather and Bram Stoker’s Dracula director said: “I have yet to see (Barbie and Oppenheimer), but the fact that people are filling big theatres to see them and that they are neither sequels nor prequels, no number attached to them, meaning they are true one-offs, is a victory for cinema.”
Coppola went on to add in another post that he is very optimistic about the future of films now, writing: “My hunch is that we’re on the verge of a golden age. Wonderful and illuminating cinema seen in large theatres.”
That may not indeed be too far from the truth as both the movies have surpassed all expected projections, and the ‘Barbenheimer’ war certainly became a massive trend that is going to have an effect on Hollywood and other cinema in general.
Worldwide, Barbie has already passed $600 million and is projected to reach $700 million by the end of its second weekend, and even has the possibility of reaching upto $1 billion during its theatrical run, which would make it the second film of the year to do so, following The Super Mario Bros. Movie. While Oppenheimer isn’t pulling in those numbers, the film has still far exceeded its expectations, having crossed $300 million worldwide since its release, and has been projected to go over $500 million. In addition, the movie has got universal acclaim with a score of 96 per cent so far.
Coppola has previously been an outspoken critic of Hollywood regarding their penchant for doing too many, prequels, sequels and spin-off, which according to the veteran filmmaker has had a negative affect on the modern movie industry, as this trend has come to dominate everything in general now.
The director-producer isn’t a big fan of Marvel and its film franchises, and has in fact blamed them for formulaic storytelling and creating a standard blueprint that many filmmakers are now employing, in an effort to cut both time and cost.
Back in an interview, he said: “There used to be studio films. Now there are Marvel pictures. And what is a Marvel picture? A Marvel picture is one prototype movie that is made over and over and over and over and over again to look different. This is all good fun and all, but it’s not cinema, Some directors are doing it differently, but this is little more than a trend, and when it completely catches on, it’s going to be very difficult to control its negative effects.”