Wikipedia

Barbenheimer

Internet meme about the competition between the 2023 films Barbie and Oppenheimer

Barbenheimer[a] is an Internet phenomenon and internet meme that began before the release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, on July 21, 2023.[3] The word is a portmanteau of the movies' titles.[4]

The Fine Arts Theatre in Asheville, North Carolina showing the showtimes for both movies
Barbie star Margot Robbie and Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy

The reason why this meme happened is because Barbie, a fantasy comedy movie based on the fashion doll Barbie, and Oppenheimer, a biographical thriller movie about theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, caused a comedic response because they were being released on the same date.[5] Polygon described the two movies as extremely opposite to each other.[6]

The meme gained popularity with several movie theatres selling both movies as double features.[7] Actor Tom Cruise, Barbie director Greta Gerwig and actress Margot Robbie took part of the "Barbenheimer" phenomenon and watched both movies.[8] In an interview, Oppenheimer actor Cillian Murphy supported the phenomenon, saying "My advice would be for people to go see both, on the same day. If they are good films, then that's cinema's gain."[9]

Many critics were surprised by how "Barbenheimer" was helping the release of both movies being release on the same day, whereas normally when two major movies were being released on the same day, they would compete at the box office.[10]

Barbie made $22.3 million in Thursday night previews, while Oppenheimer made $10.5 million. This was the first time two movies have made more than $10 million each in their previews in 2023.[11]

The movies earned a combined 21 nominations at the 96th Academy Awards, both movies nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, with Oppenheimer receiving the most of the year at 13.[12]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Also known as Oppenbarbie or Barbieheimer[1][2]

References

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  1. ↑ Romano, Aja (2023-07-10). "Barbieheimer: It's black. It's pink. It's more meaningful than you think". Vox. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  2. ↑ Beckerman, Jim. "Why are moviegoers so excited to see 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' together?". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  3. ↑ Jaworski, Michelle (2023-06-29). "Barbenheimer is the cinematic meme of the summer". The Daily Dot. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  4. ↑ Gregory, Elizabeth (2023-06-30). "Barbenheimer: the internet reacts to the release of both films". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  5. ↑ Ankers-Range, Adele (June 30, 2023). "The Internet Embraces 'Barbenheimer' With Memes, Mashups, and More". IGN. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  6. ↑ Clark, Nicole (2023-06-28). "The people refuse to decide between Barbie and Oppenheimer". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-07-02.
  7. ↑ Ampil, Izzy (July 13, 2023). "World's Strangest Double Feature: 'Barbie,' Then 'Oppenheimer'". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ Garbutt, Emily (June 30, 2023). "Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie have accepted Tom Cruise's movie marathon mission". Total Film. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  9. ↑ Watson, Fay (July 10, 2023). "Cillian Murphy gives Barbenheimer double bill his seal of approval". gamesradar. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  10. ↑ Burton, Carson (July 18, 2023). "I've Never Seen Anything Like This': Why Barbenheimer Has Box Office Analysts Reeling". IGN. Retrieved July 21, 2023.
  11. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2023-07-21). "'Barbie' Posts Best Preview Box Office Of 2023 YTD With $22M+; 'Oppenheimer' Clocks $10M+ – Box Office Update". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-07-21.
  12. ↑ "2024 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
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