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Moviegoers flock to a Mattel-mushroom cloud 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ double feature

2 touted movie opposites brought together by cross-marketing fate land in theatres
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Advertisements for the films 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ and 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ appear at AMC Theaters at The Grove on Thursday, July 20, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Waves of pink-clad moviegoers passed under carboard palm trees on the frenzied first day of

After a feverish drumbeat propelled forward by a mushroom cloud of memes, the most anticipated day on the year91Ƶs movie calendar finally arrived as 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ and 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ 91Ƶ two movie opposites brought together by cross-marketing fate 91Ƶ landed in theaters.

91ƵI think it91Ƶs the contrast,91Ƶ said Lucy Ruiz, 17, as she and a friend made their way into the first showing of 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ on Thursday at the Alamo Drafthouse in Yonkers, New York. 91ƵIf you want to do both in the same day, it91Ƶs like two sides of the same coin.91Ƶ

For Ruiz, the second half of her 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ would have to wait. 91ƵMaybe next week,91Ƶ she said of seeing 91ƵOppenheimer.91Ƶ

But many are flocking to see both on opening weekend. The National Association of Theater Owners says some 200,000 moviegoers in North America have booked same-day tickets to each movie. The movie of the summer has turned out to be not or but a double feature.

91ƵI don91Ƶt think I91Ƶve seen anything like this,91Ƶ says Michael O91ƵLeary, president of the theater association, who compared the phenomenon to a sold-out Taylor Swift concert tour. 91ƵBut while that91Ƶs an amazing special event that captures the cultural attention, it91Ƶs not accessible to everybody the way these two movies are. This is a phenomenon open to everyone, regardless of where they live.91Ƶ

As of Friday, it was already clear 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ had morphed into the movie event of the year. The collision of and Christopher Nolan91Ƶs three-hour the so-called father of the atomic bomb, wasn91Ƶt cannibalizing ticket sales for either but fueling excitement for the most jarring and color-clashing of movie weekends.

Studios forecasts had hovered around an $80 million opening weekend for 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ and about $40 million for 91ƵOppenheimer.91Ƶ But it91Ƶs likely that both will greatly exceed those totals, and maybe even 91Ƶ especially in the case of 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ 91Ƶ double them.

Warner Bros. said Friday that 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ took in $22.5 million in Thursday previews, the best such tally of the year and a clear sign that the film will easily sail past $100 million for the weekend. Universal Pictures91Ƶ 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ notched $10.5 million in preshow ticket sales, a likewise strong start.

91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ is poised to be not just a viral trend but a box-office behemoth. For a movie industry that still hasn91Ƶt entirely recovered its pre-pandemic footing, it91Ƶs a much-needed jolt of moviegoing joy in a summer season where have Overall sales on the year are running about 20% below the box-office pace of 2019.

As much as the 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ fanfare has been driven by internet fascination, it91Ƶs in many ways an old-school movie weekend. Both movies are roundly acclaimed, original works by two of the best filmmakers working today. 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ has been hailed as a masterpiece; in my review, I called it The Associated Press91Ƶ Jocelyn Noveck called 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ 91Ƶbrash, clever, idea-packed (if ultimately TOO packed) and

For some moviegoers, 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ is their first blush with the once common practice of catching a double feature. Jack Robinson, 17, had tickets to see both movies with friends Saturday. He planned to don a suit for 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ before changing into pink for 91ƵBarbie.91Ƶ

91ƵI used to go to the movies a lot with my family and friends before corona happened. I91Ƶm very excited,91Ƶ said Robinson. 91ƵIt91Ƶll be interesting to not leave the movie theater. Usually, it91Ƶs like bathroom and go home.91Ƶ

In recent years, theater owners have often bemoaned not having enough films in the marketplace as streaming made inroads and studios increasingly concentrated their release schedules on fewer but bigger films. But 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ points to the possible reward when a varied group of films collective rise the box-office tide.

91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ may have momentarily eclipsed last week91Ƶs top film, which, despite Tom Cruise91Ƶs lobbying, is losing IMAX screens to 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ this weekend. But having three big movies in close proximity to one other, O91ƵLeary said, 91Ƶis a good problem to have.91Ƶ

91ƵIt91Ƶs certainly preferable to the alternative,91Ƶ said O91ƵLeary.

Parrot Analytics found that global demand for the casts of each film 91Ƶ all of whom have been publicly enthusiastic about seeing their rival movie 91Ƶ grew at virtually the same rate between late April and mid-July. The audience demographics are almost opposite one another. 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ is appealing to a largely female and younger audience, while 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ is most popular with males and those over the age of 30, Parrot found.

Yet in a much-divided America, 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ has been the great pop-culture unifier of 2023. There is harmony in contrast.

91ƵI91Ƶm doing 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ first and then 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ because I know 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ is going to be something I have to digest,91Ƶ says Jill Kupnick of Brooklyn.

Movie theaters are catering to the 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ phenomenon with double feature tickets and plenty of 91ƵBarbie91Ƶ-themed promotions of candy and cocktails. But most are programming their own 91ƵBarbenheimer91Ƶ days. Freelance writer Kelsey Weekman called it 91Ƶthe closest we91Ƶve come to

91ƵI have a friend who has outfits picked out and knows how she91Ƶs styling her hair,91Ƶ Krupnick says. 91ƵThere91Ƶs a level of play involved that you rarely see in more mainstream cinema. It91Ƶs more common with Marvel movies or in the fantasy genre than something like this.91Ƶ

91ƵBarbie91Ƶ and 91ƵOppenheimer91Ƶ have melded together so much that it91Ƶs become possible 91Ƶ despite their vast differences 91Ƶ to confuse one for the other. At the Yonkers Alamo Drafthouse, a sharply dressed man wearing a pink shirt beneath a blazer inquired about showtimes for 91ƵOppenheimer.91Ƶ

A clerk courteously answered and then, noticing the man91Ƶs attire, asked, 91ƵDid you want times for 91ƵBarbie,91Ƶ too?91Ƶ

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