Barbenheimer explodes into a unique movie marriage
Barbenheimer is the latest Hollywood couple, and an unlikely one at that.
The social and entertainment media mash up of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” two bigbudget movies released Friday, is what people are buzzing about, and many are planning to see the films together, as a double feature. The two films don’t seem like they’d go together, but in the run-up, they’ve become a thing.
“They are two, non-sequel, original movies are being released at the same time,” said Carly Gomez, 26, of Grosse Pointe Woods, who headed into a 9 a.m. Saturday showing of “Oppenheimer” at the Emagine Royal Oak theater with boyfriend Matt Burns, also 26, of Grosse Pointe Woods. “And they are just so different.”
They were meeting up with another couple, who planned to later see “Barbie,” for a double feature, double date.
One film is a comedy based on a doll; the other is a biopic about the making of the atomic bomb. One is lighter; the other darker. And they were made by different studios: “Barbie” is a Warner Bros. film, and “Oppenheimer” is Universal Pictures.
It’s hard to say whether this is something that happened on its own, or is, well, a Hollywood conspiracy to sell more tickets and make people forget that 65,000 Hollywood actors have taken up picket signs over concerns about inadequate pay and questions about the use of artificial intelligence.
Entertainment publications, such as Variety — which covers the movie industry — has suggested that the link between the two shows is that the subjects of each holds a special place in pop culture. Each flick also examines the “nature of humanity.”
Some people have gone so far to create Hollywood-like posters combining the two shows into one with the title “Barbenheimer.” Various versions are for sale online. There also are memes out there and some amusing video spoofs, too.
For some, watching both movies as a double feature might require a drive from one cineplex to another, especially if the plan is to see “Oppenheimer,” which was shot on IMAX 70 mm film, on a larger screen, where “Barbie” isn’t playing.
In those cases, moviegoers might decide to take a break between blockbusters for a bite to eat — or perhaps a nap. But if you do Barbenheimer, consider that the most important choice you likely will need to make: Which of the two do you see first?
“It’s controversial,” Gomez said, adding with her boyfriend that they are seeing “Oppenheimer” first, because that way they can end the day “on a high note.”