It’s a Barbenheimer world – and this weekend, New York City is living in it.
Fans flocking to New York City movie theaters Friday were ready for an odd couple combo of cinematic releases: the Christopher Nolan film “Oppenheimer,” about the making of the atom bomb, and Greta Gerwig’s feminist take on Barbie.
Some wore pink. Some wore black. Some came prepared with a change of clothes in their bags to be appropriately dressed for the mood of each feature.
But all of them were excited to be at a movie theater in person, and to be part of Hollywood’s most anticipated weekend of the year.
A group of friends poses before heading into the Barbie premier at the Village East by Angelika theater in the East Village.
At the Village East by Angelika theater on Second Avenue and 12th Street, Carina Goebelbecker, a freelance artist who works at a nonprofit, said she decided to do the double feature after seeing buzz on social media.
First up was Oppenheimer at 11:30 a.m. Goebelbecker was wearing black for the occasion, but opened her bag to reveal a pink outfit for the Barbie movie.
“It will be a really fun day of a lot of art, and a lot of thinking and reflecting," said Goebelbecker.
Brooklynite Arthur Furniss, also at the Angelika, said he was originally more excited about Oppenheimer, but decided to do the double – roughly a six-hour endeavor – in honor of his 22nd birthday.
“I can’t think of a better birthday event than Barbenheimer,” he said.
Renata Gerecke, a self-professed film enthusiast and Gerwig fan, was seeing the World War II movie with pink sparkles decorating her cheeks, then heading to Barbie.
“I need something to chill me out after the tense vibes of Oppenheimer,” said Gerecke. “It feels like dinner before dessert.”
The phenomenon has theater owners across the country feeling enthusiastic and optimistic, according to Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, which represents about 32,000 movie screens in all 50 states.
Carina Goebelbecker is pictured on the left, with her friend Hope French. They were dressed for Oppenheimer and had Barbie clothes in their bags.
“Historically, people would tell you that having two blockbuster movies opening on the same day isn't necessarily great for business, but I think that you’re seeing a situation this weekend where that assumption needs to be revisited,” O’Leary said.
“All signs are headed to a very, very good weekend, both in terms of audience attendance and in terms of the revenue that will be generated, and some of those projections are very, very high.”
O’Leary said this weekend could be a much-needed boost to the industry, whose profits evaporated during the pandemic.
O’Leary couldn’t predict just how high box office revenue numbers could be for the weekend, but Joe Masher, president of New York’s branch of the National Association of Theater Owners, said he wouldn’t be surprised if over 100,000 people bought tickets for the double feature – not counting the folks who were just going to see one of the films.
“We’re thrilled,” he said. “Unfortunately it can't be like this every weekend, but we’re hoping that we can get back with some degree of normalcy in the near future.”
O’Leary said theater owners are increasingly getting viewers off the couch and through the door by offering special experiences to go along with the films, such as serving custom cocktails, selling merchandise, and advertising fun events like pajama party promotions or costume screenings.
At the end of the day, “Barbenheimer” seems to have taken on a life of its own.
“I think what we’re seeing here, because the excitement cuts across age and gender and every possible demographic, is that people just love good movies,” said O’Leary. “People feel like something special is going on, and they want to be in the theaters and see it on the big screen and be a part of it.”
