What is ‘Barbenheimer?’ Film fans rejoice over bizarre double-feature weekend

What do you get when two highly anticipated, yet polar-opposite films are scheduled to release on the same day? For film fans, the answer is a good time — and the birth of “Barbenheimer.”

The trend, a portmanteau of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” — both set to premier on July 21 — has taken the internet by storm, spawning countless art pieces, videos, memes and merchandise.

It’s even attracted the attention of A-listers like Tom Cruise, and has had the leads of both films plotting their perfect Barbenheimer weekends. But what is it? And which film should you see first?

What is “Barbenheimer?”

Barbenheimer spawned when fans realized “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” both films with massive online followings, were scheduled to run on the very same day.

It’s a bizarre pairing — “Barbie” is a lighthearted comedy bathed in bright colours, featuring an anthropomorphized children’s doll; while “Oppenheimer” features a dark and intense retelling of the creation of the atomic bomb and its main overseer.

At first, online observers quarrelled over which film was superior and which one they’ll be seeing but fans soon asked themselves — as the early aughts meme goes — “Why not both?”

And so Barbenheimer was born, with fans pledging to make the most of the double feature and watch both on the same day — a total 294 minutes of screentime.

The trend, buoyed by the online fandom, has proved a major marketing success. AMC Theaters reported that more than 20,000 of its AMC Stubs members had booked to watch both films on the same day, for example.

That said, “Barbie” is projected to sell more tickets, with Box Office Pro forecasting the film to make $85 million on opening weekend — and those are lowball estimates. Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer” is predicted to make $45 million in the same time.

What do actors think of “Barbenheimer?”

Actors involved with both “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie” appear to love the concept, with the latter’s lead, Margot Robbie, even plotting how she’d spend her Barbenheimer weekend.

“It’s a perfect double bill,” Robbie said at her movie’s London premiere on Wednesday. “I think actually start your day with ‘Barbie,’ then go straight into ‘Oppenheimer’ and then a ‘Barbie’ chaser.”

“Barbie” star Ryan Gosling agreed, saying he’d see “Barbie” first, then “‘Oppenheimer’ for lunch,” followed by another “Barbie” viewing.

On the other side, “Oppenheimer” lead Cillian Murphy told IGN he “100 per cent” planned to see “Barbie” and that Barbenheimer was “just great for the industry and for audiences … you can spend the whole day in the cinema. What’s better than that?”

Other high-profile actors have commented on the trend. In an interview Tom Cruise said, “What’s great is, you’re going to see both on the weekend. I haven’t quite decided, I think (I’ll see) ‘Oppenheimer’ first and then ‘Barbie.’”

Barbenheimer spawned explosion of online art

On the internet, talented artists seemed to take Barbenheimer as a challenge and began producing gorgeous works and spoof movie posters merging the two movies. Here are some of our favourites.

Others posted videos and mock trailers of the two films — here are some for your viewing pleasure.

Finally, for online shoppers there is a flood of Barbenheimer merchandise, with allowing fans to rep the double feature with custom-made T-shirts. Even Robbie said she wanted to have a shirt signed by Murphy, as a souvenir.

Will you be joining the Barbenheimer frenzy? Which film will you watch first?

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