Nothing like this has been seen since the pandemic hit the cinemas: two super productions opening on the same day, from two prestigious directors and with great casts, and stories that are at the opposite end of the other. Ferrell, Michael Cera and Simu Liu; on the other side is “Oppenheimer”, a biographical epic in the form of a ‘thriller’ about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb with three hours and a budget of 100 million, directed by Christopher Nolan and with Cillian Murphy with actors like Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Kenneth Branagh, Casey Affleck and Rami Malek. The age at the box office has evolved into an internet phenomenon called “Barbenheimer”, with ‘memes’ and humorous viral posters that bring the two radically different films together. this Wednesday that more than 200 thousand spectators will make the “double session”. In other words, they will spend at least five hours in theaters to see the two films that, it has already been confirmed, are among the most acclaimed of 2023 so far. decided to put “Barbie” on the same weekend in mid-July, which is known to be the director’s favorite, as “revenge” for him leaving the studio he was connected to for almost 20 years because of its decision to release all the 2021 films at the same time in theaters and on the HBO Max platform (“Oppenheimer” is distributed by Universal). director of his “Mission Impossible – Reckoning: Part One”, with tickets in hand and next to posters of “Indiana Jones and the Marker of Fate”, “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie”. and the industry itself, still recovering from the impact of the pandemic, and for the 2023 summer season itself, after several premieres below expectations (which was joined, days later, by the fifth “Indiana Jones”). The official account of “Oppenheimer” also shared the actor’s message. About two weeks ago, “Barbenheimer” exploded with an epic poster bringing together the actors and the themes of the films. The phenomenon never stopped and the film teams embraced it with mutual support in interviews and social networks. And there is even debate about which one to see first (Tom Cruise revealed to The Sydney Morning Herald that he will see “Oppenheimer” on Friday, opening day, and “Barbie” on Saturday). Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan” data-title=””Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”? Thousands caught the “Barbenheimer” fever and go see the films on the same day – SAPO Mag”> Cillian Murphy and Christopher Nolan Regardless of what he thinks privately, Nolan himself has publicly acknowledged that the two simultaneous releases represent a healthy film market, as it was before the pandemic, and it is the audience that wins. I think it’s great. I’m going to see ‘Barbie’. I can’t wait. I think it’s great for the industry and for moviegoers that we have two amazing movies from amazing directors coming out on the same day. You can spend a whole day at the cinema, what’s better than that”. [Affleck] and I used to go see two movies every weekend and I think people should do that”, while Emily Blunt thinks that “the interest in the variety of what’s available is incredible”. The media visibility comes at the right time and increases the predictions of box office receipts for the premieres: “Oppenheimer”, for having three hours and an “adult” theme with an age rating “R” (16 and over), going from 40 to 50 million dollars between Friday and Sunday in 3600 theaters and benefiting from the monopoly of IMAX theaters around the world for three weeks. Its commercial verdict will be decided not by the first three days, but by the behavior in the coming weeks, unlike “Barbie”, which for the genre, length and PG-13 rating (for teenagers), no one has any doubt that it will be the biggest opening of the weekend: for 4200 theaters, the studio is conservative and projects 75 million dollars, but analysts range from 95 to 110 million, and some rival studios and exhibitors believe it can raise 140 million.
an irresistible campaign
Margot Robbie” data-title=””Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”? Thousands caught the “Barbenheimer” fever and go see the films on the same day – SAPO Mag”> Margot Robbie Until now, the known information about “Barbie” revolves around that it tells the story of the blonde doll’s departure from Barbieland towards the real world, accompanied by Ken, her eternal boyfriend. And contrary to the usual, the images maintain suspense: is it a feminist allegory or a simple comedy? She adapted another classic in 2019: “Little Women”, by Louisa May Alcott.In “Barbie”, she opted for spectacularly ‘kitsch’ settings, with all the possible clichés associated with Barbieland: a bright pink house, the Californian beach, convertible cars… ) and with the promise of a pop retelling of the story of the most famous doll in the world.In addition, from slippers to roller skates, toothbrushes, face masks, clothes for dolls and humans or inflatable pool toys, inspired products have colored the entire planet in pink. Mattel has granted more than one hundred licenses and capitalized with the signing of all kinds of contracts, from fashion and beauty products to accessories.Gap, Microsoft (Barbie XBox), Forever XXI, Ulta Beauty, Hot Wheels ( Mattel brand), Chevrolet and Progressive (insurance) were some of the many selected brands. Mattel even signed a contract with its competitor Hasbro to produce the Monopoly Barbie game. In return, Mattel will produce a Transformers edition of the Uno card game. ” data-title=””Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”? Thousands caught the “Barbenheimer” fever and go see the films on the same day – SAPO Mag”>
“I’ve been covering this sector for 30 years and I’ve never seen anything like it. Barbie is everywhere!”, said Dergarabedian”Barbie is tailor-made for marketing. It’s perfect because it’s a toy, a product and moreover, a lifestyle and a color”, he added. The amount of pink paint used on the film’s sets led to a worldwide shortage, said a production employee. “Mattel and Warner created an incredible campaign. It’s irresistible”, praised the analyst. with Aqua) performing the Danish group’s 1997 hit “Barbie girl”. The controversial map” data-title=””Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”? Thousands caught the “Barbenheimer” fever and go see the films on the same day – SAPO Mag”> The controversial map The studio has always maintained that the map was a “children’s crayon drawing” of Barbie’s fictional journey from Barbieland to the ‘real world’ and “with no intention of making any kind of statement” about the so-called nine-dash line, which China uses to justify its maritime claims. e. Lui, c’est juste Ken” (“She can do anything. He’s just Ken”) resorts to the use of a very popular expression with a double meaning in the country, where “ken” is a shortened version over time of the term “forniquer”. [fornicar], which causes the poster to advertise something along the lines of “She can do anything. He just knows f****”.“It’s definitely deliberate; it’s impossible for anyone who speaks French to miss the obscene pun. It really turns out to be genius that they got that in,” a French marketing executive from a competing studio told the magazine. Deliberate or “slip”, the studio said nothing in the reaction, but did not hide its pleasure for the attention: “The speculation surrounding the ‘Barbie’ marketing campaign shows that there is a high level of attention and great public enthusiasm around the future premiere of our film in France. We can’t wait for audiences all over the world to see the film”.TRAILER “BARBIE”. TRAILER “OPPENHEIMER”.
