Nowadays, there are few contemporary cinema success stories that inspire much in the way of confidence. From the downfall of spending on original ideas for the realm of the tried and tested, to the rise in streaming at the expense of theatrical releasing leading the charge of 'content' over 'filmmaking', and the popularity of certain genres at the expense of almost all others, the outlook can be occasionally grim
But every now and then, just when it feels like we are entering a period of prolonged life-support, a miracle happens. Sometime entirely unexpected and wonderfully surprising happens that brightens the future of cinema and reassures us that not every motion picture triumph comes from the cape-wearing or franchised. I am, of course, talking about the recent triumph of BARBENHEIMER.
On July 21st, as I - somebody who visits the cinema multiple times every week - sat in a bar with friends, eagerly awaiting our sold-out showing of Barbie (Oppenheimer, for me, would have to wait until Sunday), something incredible happened: Barbenheimer was making national news. Reporters were clamouring through the crowds of young, old and in-between cinemagoers, many adorned in every shade of pink imaginable, who were filing between screens to undertake the double-bill to end all double-bills. What had begun as an internet meme, poking fun at a nifty bit of counter-programming, had transcended any and every expectation. Both films would go on to break box office records, scoring an eyewatering $246.2 million combined opening weekend, cementing the July 21-23 window as the fifth highest grossing weekend of all time.
But where did Barbenheimer all start, you ask?
Christopher Nolan’s long-established and highly profitable relationship with Warner Brothers came crashing down, like many things, as a direct consequence of the COVID pandemic. After inspiring original success stories such as Inception and Dunkirk, as well as the highly lauded Dark Knight trilogy, Warner Brothers made a controversial move early into the cinema shutdown that earned them the fury of a number of filmmakers - but no one more so than Nolan, their golden child.
Warner Bros announced that every release on their 2020 and 2021 calendar, from the smaller dramas all the way up to their biggest tentpoles, would premiere on their HBO Max streaming service, day and date with their theatrical debuts. Dubbed 'Project Popcorn', the initiative would allow audiences too wary to leave the comfort of their homes in the second year of the pandemic the opportunity to experience the newest movies from the comfort of their sofa. As a leading voice in the sanctity of the theatrical experience, whose Tenet launched upon the first wave of cinema reopenings in the summer of 2020 to an understandably more muted reception than his never-miss work had achieved, Nolan was furious. Shortly after, it became known that he was looking for a new studio to back his next feature. Pretty much overnight, their relationship crumbled. Ultimately, Oppenheimer landed at Universal Pictures doorstep.
In Dreamland, a Barbie film had been in gestation since as early as 2009 - rather ironically, with Universal to begin with. While it isn't unusual for a film to undergo a rocky production period, Barbie went through a number of iterations - including one starring Anne Hathaway and another fronted by Amy Schumer - and was shipped around to a number of different studios who struggled to settle on its tone, before landing with the teaming of Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig at Warner Bros desk.
While they would undoubtedly deny any ill-seated pettiness borne out of a desire to pull one over on their studio-switching ex, Warner Bros plumping for the same mid-late July release date Nolan features has opened in for the majority of his career for Barbie may just imply otherwise.
With both films gearing towards their July 21st release date, film circles had already highlighted the irony of the pastled, plastic Barbie launching alongside the existential and heavy Oppenheimer as the perfect example of counter-programming; such a practise, when two wholly different things are positioned to attract completely opposing and (crucially) rarely overlapping demographics, have a history of working well. Nolan's own The Dark Knight was successfully counterprogrammed by movie musical Mamma Mia in the summer of 2008; The Equalizer 2 went up against Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again in July 2018, with strong results for each; while Mad Max: Fury Road and Pitch Perfect 2 saw a combined domestic opening weekend of well over $100 million in 2015. Typically female-skewing works like Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour and rom-com Dear John launching on NFL Super Bowl weekends demonstrates the same practise in a slightly different manner.
But none of these had quite the same stakes as Barbenheimer, with both films costing over $100 million to produce, even more to market, and during an era (and particularly summer blockbuster season) where audiences were not quite as reliable in opening up their wallets. So, with rumblings that one film may shift date to avoid competition transpiring as untrue, dates locked in and marketing spends committed, we rolled towards July 21st with a genuine sense of anticipation. But, in the weeks before, something quite wonderful happened.
After being positioned as Barbie vs. Oppenheimer, the battle began to adopt a different tone when red carpets were underway and the cast and creatives of the respective films were questioned about the phenomenon. Rather than shirking away from the attention any discussion granted their opposition, the stars embraced their "rivals" and joined in on the fun: from debates about viewing order to signing merchandise of their opposition, a mutual respect and appreciation developed that encompassed a love for cinema that eventually became the overriding message of Barbenheimer. Barbie star Issa Rae commented "I love that there's solidarity though where people tried to pit us against one another but now it's turned into like a double feature situation", while Oppenheimer lead Cillian Murphy stated two good films is "cinema's gain".
That merriment surpassed those involved in Barbenheimer directly too. Tom Cruise, whose Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning - Part One hit cinemas shortly before Barbenheimer arrived, posed with pictures of cinema tickets for both films and stated that he was booked in for a viewing of each, while legendary director Francis Ford Coppola called it "a success for cinema".
Now, exactly a month after since the successful launch of Barbenheimer, both stand on their own two feet as two of the most successful films of all time: Barbie, the most successful female-directed film of all time, smashed through a billion dollars and has ascended the global list of highest-grossing films of all time with ease, on course to crack the top twenty any second now, with a top ten position not entirely out of the question - a feat it has already achieved in the UK, where it stands as our 8th highest grossing film of all time.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer has collected $700 million in global receipts, becoming the #5 highest-grossing "adult" film (and could claim the runner-up position by the time its theatrical run ends) of all time. It currently stands as the fourth-highest grossing film of the year so far, Nolan's fourth-highest grossing film overall (although it ranks as first in over 50 markets. Oppenheimer becomes an even greater astronomical successful given that it is one of the very few "prestigious films" to win audiences around in the post-COVID landscape, while also surprisingly popular with younger moviegoers, who tend to be a difficult demographic to win over.
There are those who will try and convince you that the viral sensation had no bearing on the success of either title; that each film was destined to perform extraordinary feats that would emblazon themselves, under their shared moniker or as separate entities, into the history books forevermore. But that's nonsense. Both Barbie and Oppenheimer would have no doubt performed well and turned a pretty penny but, crucially, both became the jaw-dropping victories they are because the very notion of Barbenheimer was embraced in the most celebratory, enthusiastic and loving manner possible - by creatives, studios, pundits, cinemas and audiences alike.
Box office is frequently turned into a competition but here, everybody won - the studios made their money, the creatives will continue to go from strength to strength bolstered by their victories, cinemas kept the popcorn tubs filled and audiences were rewarded with two incredible (and incredibly different) pieces of cinema that stand on opposing ends of the scale in theme, narrative and content but firmly together with that of quality, artistry and merit.
And with award season just around the corner, chances are that there's another battle for Barbenheimer to undertake...
