With many moviegoers gearing up for a double feature of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” opening next Friday, one of those involved in this friendly face-off has weighed in.
Speaking with IGN, Nolan himself was asked about the ‘Barbenheimer’ craze and he seems quite happy with all the talk as either way it’s getting people out to cinemas:
“Summer, in a healthy marketplace, is always crowded, and we’ve been doing this a long time. I think for those of us who care about movies, we’ve been really waiting to have a crowded marketplace again, and now it’s here and that’s terrific.”
Initially seen as rivals, the two films and the just-opened “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” have all been engaged in friendly showings of support for each other in recent weeks and the growing online conversation has resulted in growing ticket sales.
Nolan’s not the only one from that film to have discussed the face-off as two of the film’s stars, Cillian Murphy and Matt Damon, said in a similar sentiment it’s all about getting people out to the theaters:
Murphy: “I think it’s great. I mean, I’ll be going to see ‘Barbie.’ I can’t wait to see it. I think it’s just great for the industry and for audiences that we have two amazing films by amazing filmmakers coming out the same day. Could spend a whole day in the cinema, what’s better than that?”
Damon: “I love the fact that people are talking about going to two movies in a weekend. Ben [Affleck] and I used to go to two movies every weekend, and I think people should do that.”
Will it all pay off? We’ll find out when the box-office numbers come in. “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” open in theaters July 21st.
