![]() Indeed, the conflict of the film truly begins once the film’s central Barbie (Robbie) breaks from her idyllic routine to contemplate death. Even in a world where Barbie can do anything or be anyone, the “stereotypical” Barbie is tall, blond, skinny and forever smiling. Give toy giant Mattel credit for allowing Gerwig, co-writer Noah Baumbach and producer/star Margot Robbie to make a movie that both celebrates the most idealistic aspects of the Barbie brand without ignoring its cloudy cultural reputation. The brand obviously caters to kids, but by hiring “Lady Bird” and “Little Women” filmmaker Greta Gerwig to make the movie, “Barbie” morphed into a movie for all types of audiences, including those who wouldn’t be caught dead at a “toy movie.” The “Barbie” movie is something special all its own. “Oppenheimer” attracted people who don’t go to the movies very often (basically anyone over the age of 30) and, combined with the monster box office made by the independently-released “Sound of Freedom,” there is now proof in this post-COVID universe that more people will go to movies if there’s awareness for the type of movies they actually want to see. A three-hour, R-rated biopic usually needs weeks of audience word of mouth to gross the amount “Oppenheimer” made in a single weekend. The “Oppenheimer” success is a staggering one given its subject matter. Still, the box office wouldn’t have soared so high without a key factor: Both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” are good movies. After all, one is a decades-spanning toy sensation and the other is the latest from one of Hollywood’s few bankable directors.Ī huge marketing campaign certainly helped matters too, as well as the rival studios’ embrace of the viral “Barbenheimer” challenge (spend five hours at the movie theater watching two completely different kinds of movies). ![]() “Barbenheimer,” or “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” probably would have made decent money regardless of critical and audience reception. If they did, standouts like “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” “Asteroid City” and “Past Lives” would be sitting next to “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” as the top-grossing movies of the year. Good movies obviously don’t always achieve blockbuster status at the box office. ![]()
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