It’s the summer blockbuster battle not many critics saw coming; Barbie vs Oppenheimer, or as it’s more affectionately known, Barbenheimer.
Both films are hoping to rake it in at the Box Office this year after spending more than $100m each on production – and the stage is set for a head to head battle as they prepare to be released on the same day (July 21).
Critics are praising both flicks, albeit for different reasons, and there is a growing Oscar buzz for some of the leading stars, most notably Margot Robbie (Barbie), Ryan Gosling (Ken), and Cillian Murphy (J. Robert Oppenheimer).
And with just days to go until the release, the world’s largest cinema chain AMC Theatres has reported that more than 20,000 people have bought tickets to see both movies on the same day.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie sees Robbie, 33, leading the cast as the eponymous Barbie doll alongside her boyfriend Ken, played by Gosling, 42. The cast is a who’s who of Hollywood powerhouses, with Will Ferrell playing the CEO of Mattel, and Helen Mirren the narrator.
Marvel star Simu Liu, Issa Rae, Michael Cera, and Kate McKinnon star as inhabitants of Barbieland, while Rhea Perlman, America Ferrera, and Alexandra Shipp are also attached to the film.
The cast of Oppenheimer at a photo call in Trafalgar Square, central London on Wednesday. Left to right: Robert Downey Junior, Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh and Matt Damon
From the few teasers released, it appears to be a fish-out-of-water comedy that plays on the quirky premise of what the Mattel dolls would get up to if left to their own devices.
The film starts out with a glimpse into Barbie and Ken’s dream-like life in Barbie Land. However, when they’re forced to live among humans, they realise the real world isn’t as blissful.
It’s a far cry from the doom and gloom of Oppenheimer, a drama by Christopher Nolan about the scientist known as the father of the Atomic bomb.
Oppenheimer features an all-star cast and is led by Cillian Murphy, who plays the theoretical physicist who helped develop the bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer. The movie also boasts a cast including Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., and Matt Damon.
Film critic Robbie Collin from The Telegraph raved on Twitter: ‘Am torn between being all coy and mysterious about Oppenheimer and just coming out and saying it’s a total knockout that split my brain open like a twitchy plutonium nucleus and left me sobbing through the end credits like I can’t even remember what else.’
He also teased plenty of sex scenes: ‘And for all those who’ve groused about the lack of sex in Christopher Nolan’s earlier work…boy oh BOY, are you getting some sex as only Nolan could stage it in this one.’
Vulture movie critic Bilge Ebiri gushed: ‘OPPENHEIMER is…incredible. The word that keeps coming to mind is ”fearsome.” A relentlessly paced, insanely detailed, intricate historical drama that builds and builds and builds until Nolan brings the hammer down in the most astonishing, shattering way.’
Jonathan Dean of The Sunday Times called the film ‘audacious’ and ‘inventive’.
‘Totally absorbed in OPPENHEIMER, a dense, talkie, tense film partly about the bomb, mostly about how doomed we are. Happy summer! Murphy is good, but the support essential: Damon, Downey Jr & Ehrenreich even bring gags. An audacious, inventive, complex film to rattle its audience,’ he posted.
Meanwhile Simon Thomson, a voting member of the Critics Choice, BAFTA and BIFA awards, branded Murphy’s performance as ‘flawless’ and ‘awards-worthy’.
But Barbie has also been widely praised by some of the most noted critics in the business.
Katcy Stephan, Variety‘s social media editor, was among the first to post a reaction to the film on social media, stating it was nothing short of ‘perfection’.
‘#Barbie is perfection. Greta Gerwig delivers a nuanced commentary on what it means to be a woman in a whimsical, wonderful and laugh-out-loud funny romp,’ Stephan begins.
The Barbie film stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, while Oppenheimer follows the real-life story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the ‘father of the Atomic bomb’
Florence Pugh looked as chic as ever in a blue mini dress and white pumps at the Oppenheimer photo call in Trafalgar Square on Wednesday
Matt Damon and Cillian Murphy at the Oppenheimer photocall in Trafalgar Square on Wednesday
Robert Downey Jr at the ‘Oppenheimer’ film photocall, Trafalgar Square, London
The world’s largest cinema chain AMC Theatres has reported that more than 20,000 people have bought tickets to see both movies on the same day.
‘The entire cast shines, especially Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in roles they were clearly born to play,’ she adds.
ScreenRant’s Joseph Deckelmeier tweeted: ‘Barbie caught me off guard and I mean that in the best way possible.
‘It’s funny, bombastic, and very smart. Greta Gerwig aims for the fences and hits a home-run. Margot Robbie’s performance is great and Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu are pure entertainment! The whole cast is brilliant!’
On one hand, the Barbie movie is brightly colored, and embraces everything fun and campy about the iconic Mattel toy line.
Meanwhile Oppenheimer is characterised as a war drama. There is a much darker tone and as a film about the invention of atomic bombs, it couldn’t be any further from the happy-go-lucky Gerwig creation.
While fans feared they’d have to choose a side in the Barbie v Oppenheimer battle, they realised both could co-exist and created the joint term ‘Barbenheimer’ to celebrate their excitement for both.
The term has blown up so much on social media that it now has its own Wikipedia page.
The entry describes Barbenheimer as ‘an Internet phenomenon that began circulating ahead of the theatrical release of two films diametrically opposed in genre, Barbie and Oppenheimer, on July 21, 2023.’
It also digs further into the roots of the intrigue behind Barbenheimer, citing the extreme ‘contrast’ between the two movies.
The page reads: ‘The contrast between Barbie, a fantasy comedy film directed by Greta Gerwig about the fashion doll Barbie, and Oppenheimer, a biographical thriller film directed by Christopher Nolan about theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, provoked a comedic response from Internet users.’
Naturally, when the internet is presented with a combination of cultural phenomenon and comedy, memes ensue.
Fans have made an abundance memes marrying the two films together while pointing out the stark stylistic and genre contrasts between them
Fans have even made parody posters combining the films
And with the movies’ premiere date less than two weeks out, there is an abundance of memes marrying the two films together, while pointing out the stark contrasts between them.
One fan used the renowned It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ‘Pepe Silvia’ meme and jokingly tried to find the thread connecting the two movies.
They wrote: ‘Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent ROBERTS. Oppenheimer’s full name is Julius ROBERT Oppenheimer. There’s something they’re not telling us.’
Fans have even made parody posters combining the films.
Some featured the films’ two stars, Barbie’s Margot Robbie and Oppenheim’s Cillian Murphy, with each wearing their cowboy-inspired outfits.
Others have transplanted Barbie in her signature pink into the world of Oppenheimer, filled with explosions and mass destruction.
Fans have also created memes of explosions and smoke colored in Barbie pink.
One user posted a picture of a pink explosion and quipped it was the ‘Barbie x Oppenheimer movie marketing campaign.’
Another joked about walking into their ‘local cinema’ and just seeing a cloud of pink smoke.
A third fan joked about the Oppenheimer explosion sound effects going off, loud enough to be heard during a Barbie screening.
The films’ stars have also gotten involved with the Barbie and Oppenheimer fiasco. Thankfully, they have remained civil and are even supportive of each others’ films.
Robbie signed a Barbenheimer shirt during the Barbie press tour. Oppenheimer star Murphy also recently broke his silence on the discourse.
‘I adore Margot Robbie, I love Ryan Gosling, I want to see them now!’ he told Spanish publication La Vanguardia.
Others made memes out of contradicting fashion choices to visually demonstrate the contrast between the girly and campy Barbie film versus the dark and moody Oppenheimer film
The contrast between these two films has drawn comparisons to other pop cultural references
Barbie starts out with a glimpse into Barbie and Ken’s dream-like life in Barbie Land
Oppenheimer has a much gritter vibe. The film documents J. Robert Oppenheimer’s journey as he invents the atomic bomb and the ever-lasting changes it has on the world
‘My advice would be for people to go see both on the same day. If they are good movies, that’s what wins in the cinema,’ he added.
Robbie and Gerwig took it a step further and showed their support by posting a picture of themselves with tickets to see Oppenheim.
Recently, Murphy returned the favor and posted a snap of him and Nolan with tickets to the Barbie movie.
Outside of Barbenheimer, the hype around Barbie has had social media buzzing, from its engaging marketing tactics to Robbie’s Barbie-inspired outfits that she’s been sporting throughout the press tour and its star-studded cast which includes Ryan Gosling, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Kate McKinnon and more.
The film starts out with a glimpse into Barbie and Ken’s dream-like life in Barbie Land.
However, when they’re forced to live among humans, they realise the real world isn’t as blissful.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer has a much gritter vibe. The film documents J. Robert Oppenheimer’s journey as he invents the atomic bomb and the ever-lasting changes it has on war as the world once knew it.
With Nolan as its director, many have extremely high expectations for the film which is why there is as much hype for it as there is for the Barbie movie.
