Both Greta Gerwig’sBarbieand Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimerhave thoroughly secured their spots as the breakout hits of the summer. Despite (and partially as a result of) their immense differences in tone, story, and just about everything else, both movies made for some of the most anticipated cinematic events of the entire summer.
They were both tracking to perform well, but nobody anticipated they would perform as incredibly as they did.Barbieopened with $162 million domestically (the best of any movie this year) and over $350 million worldwide, meanwhileOppenheimerdebuted with $80 million stateside and nearly $100 million globally.
Not only are these some of the strongest openings of any films this year, together they fueled what became the fourth-highest grossing weekend in cinematic history and the largest since the onset of the pandemic in 2020. A movie-going weekend that big is a game-changer, especially in a year in which the traditional franchise blockbusters have been consistently underperforming. That’s not just any normal level of success, that is industry-changing success.
This will undoubtedly have a major impact on the kinds of films that Hollywood produces and how they are marketed. Unfortunately, the major Hollywood studios are already beginning to show that they are learning all the wrong lessons.
Not Major Film Franchises
After the success ofBarbie, in particular, Gerwig was understandably asked about whether she was interested inmaking a sequel. To which she replied with, “At this moment, it’s all I’ve got. I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did. I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream but for me, at this moment, I’m totally at zero.”
This was an encouraging response for a lot ofBarbiefans, as it’s further proof that the film wasn’t just a cash-grab on a recognizable brand. Plus,Barbiewould not have worked withoutGerwig’s magic in the director’s chair, and it would be near-impossible to make a good sequel without her. Gerwig put her all into this specific story, without worry about the future prospects or possibilities of sequels or spin-offs.
The fact thatBarbieandOppenheimerare both standalone movies without any prequels or set-ups for any sequels is one of the best parts about their success. They’re simply good movies, performing well because they’re good. Unfortunately, Mattel’s CEO, Ynon Kreiz, has already been talking about the wild future the company sees forBarbie. He has stated that they are already looking at a number ofBarbiesequels, spin-offs, films based on other toys, and stories set in the same universe.
There are already films based onPolly Pocket,Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots,Hot Wheels,American Girl, the card gameUnoand even theMagic 8 Ballin development. It’s clear that the company seesBarbieasthe beginning of the next big franchise, rather than as the personal, emotional, brilliantly-told, and creative film that it is. They couldn’t care less about that, and are instead chiefly concerned with how much money can be squeezed out of the movie.
Related:Barbie: How Greta Gerwig Critiqued Mattel in Its Own Film
The Necessity of Great Storytellers
One of the most refreshing aspects of bothOppenheimerandBarbieis the fact that they are both pure distillations of their respective filmmakers’ visions. Gerwig had immense control overBarbie, and with that, she was able to craft a truly outstanding addition to the modern cinematic canon.Barbieis the kind of film that can appeal to everybody, but it doesn’t cheaply cash in on a recognizable brand. Yes, it’s one of the funniest movies in years, but Gerwig also uses the platform to tackle some genuinely deep and important material.
As forOppenheimer, it’s been clear from the beginning that this movie is Nolan through-and-through. He is one of only a few modern filmmakers who are consistently given immense and unyielding creative control over his films. That’s because he has shown time and time again that he can deliver outstanding achievements in film, and audiences will show up for them. He prioritizes the cinematic experience, and he is always looking for new ways to forward the art of film as a whole. That’s why he’s so beloved, and that’s why his films always perform to the degree that they do.
However, studios are consistently undervaluing the importance of the creatives that are working on their films. This has never been more clear than right now, as bothOppenheimerandBarbiehave opened during the middle of strikes fromboth the WGA and SAG-AFTRA. Most of the major studios are refusing to pay filmmakers and actors what they’re worth.
The studios seem to believe that audiences only care about the myriad of blockbuster franchises that they are flooding theaters with, despite the recent and historic underperformance of films likeAnt-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,The Flash,Fast X,Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, andMission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Oneall this year.
Related:Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny: Breaking Down Every Reason the Film Is a Box Office Failure
The “Barbenheimer” Craze
Finally, part of the beauty of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon is that it was all organic. It was neither the marketing forBarbienorOppenheimerthat drove the double-billing narrative around them. That was entirely audience-driven. Much of the anticipation for both films was the result of this immense word-of-mouth that surrounded both films. They were able to capitalize on this momentum to its full potential, simply because both films were genuinely terrific and lived up to the hype.
It’s only a matter of time before Hollywood studios attempt to recreate this scenario. It might already be happening, as the release ofSaw Xwas recently moved up an entire month to the same weekend as the newPAW Patrol, though that is likely a coincidence since the audiences for those films are so dramatically different. It’s not abnormal formultiple films to open on the same weekend, but studios typically try to avoid putting multiple major releases on the same weekend so that they each have the necessary breathing room.
BarbieandOppenheimerworked on the same weekend because both movies were so vastly different, and the “Barbenheimer” craze happened to catch fire as the meme of the month. The studios behind the films accidentally caught lightning in a bottle by releasing them on the same day, but this release strategy is going to prove unsuccessful when it inevitably becomes the latest trend that every studio is hopping on.
