As thousands of moviegoers prepare for the double feature of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” one person who is excited about the “Barbenheimer” craze is Nolan himself. Despite his movie going head-to-head with “Barbie” at the box office, Nolan recently expressed to IGN that he finds it “terrific” to have both summer blockbusters opening on the same day.
According to Nolan, summer is always crowded in a healthy marketplace, and as someone who cares about movies, he has been eagerly waiting for a crowded marketplace to return. He believes that having both films open on the same day is fantastic news for the industry and moviegoers.
Cillian Murphy, who stars in the title role of “Oppenheimer,” shares Nolan’s enthusiasm, stating in an interview with IGN that he thinks it’s great to have two amazing films by incredible filmmakers releasing on the same day. He’s looking forward to watching “Barbie” and believes it’s a wonderful opportunity for audiences to spend a full day at the cinema.
Matt Damon, another “Oppenheimer” cast member, loves the fact that people are discussing the idea of watching two movies in a weekend. He recalls how he used to go to two movies every weekend with Ben Affleck and encourages others to do the same.
Emily Blunt, also in the cast of “Oppenheimer,” describes it as “awesome” for both films to open simultaneously, emphasizing the interest in the variety of films that are available.
Although “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were initially seen as rivals, the two movies have started to support each other in recent weeks. AMC Theatres reported on July 10 that over 20,000 members of its AMC Stubs program have already bought tickets to see both films on the same day. This indicates that the online conversation surrounding the idea of watching both films is translating into actual ticket sales.
Elizabeth Frank, executive VP of worldwide programming and chief content officer at AMC Theatres, sees the high number of ticket purchases as a positive sign. She believes that the growing conversation about seeing both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” is contributing to the ticket sales.
“Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are set to open in theaters on July 21, distributed by Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures, respectively.
