There has never been a double-feature event on this level. Watching as the fans embraced Barbie and Oppenheimer's release due to both films being completely different genres and topics. One is based on a toy doll the other is based on true events about the atomic bomb. I was not motivated to watch either until the marketing began to get better and better and then making this an event to be a part of was the thing to do.
I went along to watch Oppenheimer starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer the father of the atomic bomb, Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer, and Matt Damon as Leslie Groves. This movie was chilling and one of director Christopher Nolan's best. Learning of the pressure the world was under to be the first to reach the greatest superpower in the world and what took place, politically to Oppenheimer afterward was scary and shocking. Spending three hours to see the reveal at the end which was mostly focused on one of the greatest performances by Robert Downey Jr. was unexpected (the twist not the performance) and proof that RDJ is still and always was the Oscar-caliber actor he always was. For years lately, I could only see Tony Stark and now he's finally broken that trend. There were a lot of inaccuracies pointed out after the film was released but nothing too big to take you out of the film for what the film was trying to do. One of the white-washing moments was how glossed over the native people were really treated as Oppenheimer's efforts were fantasized and dramatized.
Overall, I left fully captivated and emotionally drained. Now it was time to refuel with Barbie. Directed by Greta Gerwig, this was the first film I've seen directed by Gerwig and has led me to see her other works because what she did with this material was well done and unexpected. Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Goslyn as Ken were on-screen gems. Do not believe any of the nay-sayers who are just out for agendas to claim this movie has an agenda. It doesn't, it's just a movie about the doll coming to life. It was fun to go through the history of all the successful and failing toy lines and products that Mattel has released to the world. The overall message was clear but that's not what I hear to debate or discuss. I just had fun with all of the crazy characters like Allan, weird Barbie were the best parts of the film and I would love to see a spinoff with them. This was a girly movie and somehow a dude movie too.
Barbenheimer the double feature was a great week one with Barbie getting over 150 million and Oppenheimer getting over 80 million this is the first time in Hollywood history that any film received over 50 million when the film in the first place made over 100 million. Let's see if we'll ever have a moment where two films both get over 100 million. That would be amazing.