We’re all Barbenheimer girls in a Barbenheimer world.
The same-day release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” has sparked an obsession on the internet, with plenty of memes, jokes, mashups and even products ranging from T-shirts to mock-up movie posters to keep the excitement going.
Other than the fact that both movies hit theaters on July 21, they have almost nothing in common.
While there’s not much known about the plot or tone of “Barbie,” we do know that it contributed to a pink paint shortage, stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, respectively, features other A-list stars and a big soundtrack, and that it’s inspired culture and fashion, dubbed “Barbiecore.”
The movie’s IMDb page reads, “Barbie suffers a crisis that leads her to question her world and her existence,” suggesting that life in plastic might not be so fantastic.
On the other hand, next to the movie’s bright and fun pink poster, there’s the black and dark poster for “Oppenheimer,” which is slightly more extreme of a movie.
Nolan’s film is a feature documentary exploring the true story of how physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, developed the first atomic bomb.
While these movies seem to be complete opposites of each other, moviegoers are genuinely excited about both and are using the same-day release as an excuse for an unexpected double feature.
And, thus, Barbenheimer was born.
Deciding which order to do the double feature in sent many fans into a frenzy — with the back-to-back plans almost tearing apart some friend groups.
Manhattan resident Charlie Sloane shared with The Post that his group of four best friends was immediately split two vs. two.
“For me, it was always ‘Oppenheimer’ first and then ‘Barbie.’ Dinner before dessert, ‘Game of Thrones’ before ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’” Sloane, 27, told The Post. “It just seemed too obvious to start our evening with a banger and end our night with a rom-com.”
His friends argued back and forth over which to see first, reasoning that the intensity of Nolan’s film would cause too much fatigue and that the director “wouldn’t want us to watch his film while it’s still light out.”
“It would be impossible to watch a city get destroyed and then watch Gosling pretend to be a toy,” Sloane added.
His group debated for weeks on end and couldn’t come to a unanimous decision — so they pivoted to a different solution that seemed to work out for everyone.
“The decision was made to see ‘Oppenheimer’ on Thursday night and then a ‘Barbie’ matinee on Friday, which may have been the answer all along,” Sloane shared.
For others, Barbenheimer is a chance to party and celebrate the summer’s biggest hits.
Brooklyn’s 99 Scott Studio will be hosting a Barbenheimer rave where “two contrasting worlds come together for one night of electrifying fun,” the event page says.
“There will be Barbenheimer-themed decor and I’m hoping people will come dressed up as characters from Barbie/Oppenheimer,” DJ Senaida, who will be playing at the event, told The Post. “I’m planning on playing a mix of dark techno, cinematic ambient, disco and house music to reflect both movies. I’m really looking forward to it, and it’s going to be a really fun night.”
AMC Theatres, the world’s largest cinema chain, announced this week that more than 20,000 members of its loyalty program purchased tickets to watch the two highly anticipated films back-to-back on the same day.
“That more than 20,000 moviegoers have already made plans and purchased tickets to see Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day is a great sign that the growing online conversation around seeing both of these incredible films is turning into ticket sales,” Elizabeth Frank, executive VP of worldwide programming and chief content officer at AMC Theatres, said in a statement.
“Just as exciting, with 10 days to go until these movies open, this may only be the beginning. From Friday to today, we saw a 33% increase in the number of guests who decided to create their own double feature by purchasing tickets to see both movies on the same day. We are thrilled to see this momentum.”
As of the end of June, “Barbie” was tracking for an $80 million opening weekend, while “Oppenheimer” was tracking in the $40 million range, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Even the stars of the respective movies are getting on board with a Barbenheimer weekend — and then some!
Gerwig and Robbie showed off their tickets for viewings of a trio of movies premiering around the same time as “Barbie,” following in the footsteps of Tom Cruise, whose “Mission: Impossible” movie comes out July 12.
“Mission: Accepted!” the official “Barbie” Twitter account wrote alongside the photos of the director and star with tickets to “Oppenheimer,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One.”
Meanwhile, Cruise posted photos with tickets to “Oppenheimer,” “Indiana Jones” and “Barbie.”
“I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie,” he wrote in the caption.
“Oppenheimer” star Murphy will be following suit, telling Barcelona, Spain, newspaper La Vanguardia, “I can’t wait to see ‘Barbie.’ I love Margot Robbie, I love Ryan Gosling … My advice would be for people to go see both [‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer’] on the same day.”
There are even an endless amount of brands launching Barbie-themed products, including Kendra Scott, Bloomingdale’s and more.
Along with the support from celebrities and popular brands, the excitement from fans online is palpable — even if some of the memes and commentary are sprinkled with a hint of irony.
“The day we find out whether Oppenheimer or Barbie got the higher Rotten Tomatoes score is gonna be like the civil war on here,” one person tweeted.
One person shared on Twitter, “In 2016 I bought this custom ‘cap-sac’ visor on Zazzle as a bit & cannot imagine any occasion this would be suited for besides the Barbie/Oppenheimer double premiere date that would occur years later.”
The user added a photo of the visor she purchased, which was hot neon pink and was customized with the words: “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.”
People have even made TikToks of fake trailers of mashups of the two summer films.
So while people debate which movie to see and when to see them, the internet’s consensus is: why not both?
“Barbie” has a runtime of just about two hours, while “Oppenheimer” runs for a solid three hours. Viewers can have a five-hour movie marathon where they watch both a drama where a World War II invention led to the death of thousands and caused mass hysteria and also a comedy taking place in Barbie Land where “she’s everything, and he’s just Ken.”
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