Barbenheimer fever: Oppenheimer arrives with a bang, Barbie in bangs

A combination of images shows promotional art for Barbie and Oppenheimer.
| Photo Credit: AP

It is officially Barbenheimer fever in Bengaluru, as the highly anticipated Barbie and Oppenheimer hit the screens on July 21. People lined up outside theatres in Bengaluru to watch both movies.

Barbie, featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is about the famous doll’s journey after leaving Barbie Land, and going to the real world. Oppenheimer revolves around the story of American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer’s contribution to the creation of the atomic bomb.

At Garuda mall in the Central Business District, people were seen buzzing around the theatres and discussing the movies.

Disha, a 26-year-old software engineer, said, “When they announced the live-action version of Barbie, I was so excited! I pre-booked my tickets, and I’ve already watched it with my friends.” 

Anvita, 21, a student, said, “As someone who has watched all the Barbie movies since my childhood, I was very invested in Greta Gerwig’s version of Barbie. Barbie was a fun and wholesome experience, and it challenged social stereotypes.”

The films sparked a surge in demand for pink-coloured clothes and accessories to wear to the movie. Not only children, even adults are taking this as an opportunity to embrace their inner Barbie, with vibrant pink outfits.

Gita, a saleswoman at a popular clothes chain in Commercial Street, said, “There are always people that just try on the clothes, take pictures in the trial room and put them back on the shelf. But recently, I noticed a lot of people, especially young girls, buying a lot of pink stuff. There was a group of 3-4 girls who bought almost ₹5,000 worth of clothes.”

Wearing pink to the movie seems to be the trend among Barbie fans. But not only clothes, even the demand for Barbie toys has gone up.

Manish B., a clerk at the cash counter of a popular toys chain in UB City, says, “We knew there would be some amount of popularity for the Barbie movie. So, we also put up offers and discounts. But, we didn’t realise that the hype would be this huge. Barbie dolls, in my opinion, haven’t been popular lately. Children like getting Disney Princess dolls, or stuffed toys. Maybe, because of this movie, I have seen children asking for Barbie dolls.”

Barbie’s competitor has also generated just as much excitement.

Sebin, a student, said, “Even with all the publicity and A-list stars of Barbie, I’m particularly curious about Oppenheimer, primarily because of Christopher Nolan. No matter how many times you watch his Tenet, I always discover something new. Many of his films, including The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento, are like that. All of them offer a moviegoing experience that I haven’t seen in other films. He has a really cinematic perspective. Compared to the previous movies, I think there are a lot of familiar actors in this movie, like Robert Downey Jr, Cillian Murphy, Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon. It would be incredible to see them in Christopher Nolan’s film. The Manhattan Project, the Atomic Bomb Project, and everything else are the subjects of the film. Additionally, I’ve learned from interviews and reviews of this film that it would leave its viewers horrified, which makes me curious about the movie.”

Kiran, a diploma student, said, “With Christopher Nolan’s reputation for making outstanding films, I believe this movie will only add to his long list of great movies. The movie portrayed the moral dilemmas faced by Oppenheimer during the invention of the atomic bomb, and how it affected his life.”