Barbieheimer Trends Mapped
Barbenheimer became a viral sensation on social media before the release of two major films, Barbie and Oppenheimer. These movies had vastly different themes and moods. Several countries, including the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland, saw the films debut on July 21, 2023.
‘Barbenheimer’ is a combination of the titles of the films. As a result of the dramatic contrast between Barbie — a fantasy comedy by Greta Gerwig about Barbie — and Oppenheimer — Christopher Nolan’s epic biographical drama about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear bombs during Second World War — raised a comedic reaction from Internet users. Polygon entertainment website described the two movies as “extreme opposites”, and Variety magazine called the phenomenon “the movie event of the year”.
The Barbenheimer phenomenon, which began as a rivalry, turned into an Internet meme related to counterprogramming.
As the release date approached, audiences suggested watching the films as a double feature as well as what order to watch them in, and performers in both films encouraged audiences to watch them on the same day. Among the celebrities who participated in this trend was the American actor Tom Cruise, who purchased tickets to see both films. Both films were highly acclaimed and did better than expected at the box office.
Some writers have pointed out similarities between the two films despite their apparent differences. The two films are produced by a husband-and-wife production company, both have an Oscar-nominated director and a massive ensemble cast, and both explore the theoretical notion of the Anthropocene.
Audience interest in both films varied greatly geographically. In the United States, the Barbie movie was more trendy in the southern states than Oppenheimer. The map below, resembling the 2020 election map created by @India.in.pixels, shows the geographical differences in American preferences.
