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The Best Of The ‘Barbenheimer’ Memes

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At last, Barbenheimer is upon the film industry. The term refers to Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” hitting theaters on the same day. The vast genre divide has captured the attention of moviegoers and film buffs everywhere. The former offers a feminism informed look at one of the most iconic toy brands of all time, while the latter paints an intricate portrait of one of America’s most complex historical figures, J. Robert Oppenheimer, who developed the atomic bomb.

An attendee points at her Barbenheimer shirt outside the convention center during San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, on July 20, 2023.
An attendee points at her Barbenheimer shirt outside the convention center during San Diego Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, on July 20, 2023. (Photo by Chris Delmas / AFP) (Photo by CHRIS DELMAS/AFP via Getty Images)

 

Outside of the thematic differences, the films clearly bear plenty of aesthetic differences. The hot pink bejeweled “Barbie” and the solemn gray scales of “Oppenheimer” have moviegoers dressing differently for either occasion. The film phenomenon has sparked countless memes about similar juxtaposing subject matter. Several “Barbie” cast members and “Oppenheimer” cast members have vowed to see each other’s films.

Reporter Kelsey Weekman equated the phenomenon to school spirit week for adults. Her assessment received thousands of likes.

The Memes

From the historical context of both films to the humorous community oriented movie theater experience of this premiere weekend, there were memes for every demographic.

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Some politicians even got involved, showing themselves in both their “Barbie” era and their “Oppenheimer” era.

Governor Phil Murphy of New Jersey also got in the trend.

Elsewhere, some found photos of cast members of the two films wearing pink outfits versus darker outfits to fit the duel films’ themes.

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One Twitter user cut scenes from both films together, placing Cillian Murphy’s Oppenheimer in Barbieland.

The Barbenheimer Effect

Some Twitter users are reminiscing on previous pop culture moments that bore the same effect as Barbenheimer. One Twitter user equated the situation to the duel release date of  Arctic Monkey’s moody “The Car” and Taylor Swift’s power pop “Midnights.”

Moviegoers remembered a similar box office moment over a decade ago, when “Mamma Mia” and “The Dark Knight” took theaters by storm at the same time.

As of now, both films have already achieved high critical and commercial success. “Barbie” boasts a 90% critical rating and an 89% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, with “Oppenheimer” falling at a 93% and 94% ratio. Twitter users are sharing their hilarious schedules for the day that they plan to see a double feature of both films. Both Nolan and Gerwig have long been critically acclaimed filmmakers, each snagging several Oscar nominations.

Cast members from either film are yet to confirm whether they’ve each seen each other’s films just yet. One thing remains true throughout the explosive theatrical event–that hot pink and history never go out of style.

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