Barbenheimer. Period. We’re so lost in reality that we even forget an inch about these two masterpieces in one. But which one got to you the most?
Barbie and Oppenheimer is a tale of two films that set foot in the world of cinemas exactly on the same date, July 19 of this year. Bursting through the box office on their opening, little did these two films know that they would bring people together. In the cinema. People are flocking to the cinemas to join the craze—to watch a Gerwig and Nolan film at once or vice versa. The excitement around the films helped make moviegoing an experience again.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie
“Basically, everything that men do in your world, women do in ours.”
P is for Pink, P is for Perfection = Barbie
A lot of people might commonly mistake Greta Gerwig’s film as a movie about dolls, but it proved you were nowhere near that. Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the title itself and the concept have attracted a lot of moviegoers who are curious about how Gerwig’s going to portray and show the world her take on what the world’s most popular doll would look like.
People’s idea of Barbie is perfect—the perfect woman—the perfect doll. She was built like that with all this fancy and glittery stuff around her, and there goes Ken. A man.
That’s how it also is in Gerwig’s Barbie; she is perfect; she has it all. Period. But that’s not the case. Barbie starts to feel emotions, thinks of death, wishes for the ordinary, and then cries. What is this supposed to mean?
The cinema ain’t built if I were to spoil some kind of plot and be your spoiler here. So, go ahead and watch.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer
“Now I Am Become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds.”
You know it’s a Christopher Nolan film when you see one. Starring Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer is a story about the physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on a top-secret project—the atomic bomb. If you’re a history geek who wants a film adaptation of how the Father of the atomic bomb was created, then this is definitely for you.
This movie is such a movie booster for geeks.
We get to see the likes of Einstein and some other important people in history in this film, which makes it so amazing. The mentions of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were also present, as were Oppy’s life with his family and his politics. We do get why we need to keep our facts straight when watching these types of movies, right? To know something on a deeper level.
But what’s the real deal? The cast. Cillian Murphy? Emily Blunt? Robert Downey Jr.? Florence Pugh? Couldn’t say more.
Now it’s time to talk about why these two are MAKING HISTORY.
A famous teaser mocking Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey ignited Barbie’s marketing campaign last year, and since then, we’ve seen everything from an all-star soundtrack reveal to a full-scale campaign launch. Greta Gerwig’s iconic leads have also been generating additional interest in the film, with Margot Robbie appearing in numerous costumes modeled after vintage Barbie dolls and Ryan Gosling alluding to a supposed “Kenergy” that permeates all living things.
It can easily be argued as being one of the best Hollywood marketing campaigns in recent memory. On the other hand, there was Oppenheimer with a low-key approach.
A teaser and online countdown to its release date were both released last year, much like with Barbie. The film’s similarly all-star cast, which includes actors like Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., and others, was highlighted in a later trailer that was unveiled in May 2023.
FUN FACT: Oppenheimer was shot in a combination of IMAX 65mm and Panavision 65mm large-format film, as well as— for the first time— sections in IMAX black-and-white analog photography. In fact, the 70mm IMAX print for the film has caused some theatres to build out custom projection booths for gigantic film reels.
Online fandoms, who embraced the dual theatrical release of the two films, came up with the term “Barbenheimer” and adopted it quickly. Social media became the main factor in this cinematic experiment’s success thanks to hashtags, memes, and inventive fan content. Since these two films will be released on the same weekend, fans first argued about whether the film was better and which one they would watch, but then wondered, “Why not both?”.
The main actors’ revelation about them about to watch both of the films made a great impact and is a good marketing. Margot Robbie said that it’s going to be her Barbenheimer weekend. Ryan Gosling agreed to watch Barbie first then Oppenheimer. Cillian Murphy said in one of hiss interviews that he’ll be spending the day in the cinema with both films.
How movies are marketed and enjoyed has been completely transformed by social media in the film industry.
Audience Engagement
Social media platforms provide an unprecedented opportunity for filmmakers and studios to engage directly with their audience. Through official accounts, hashtags, and live Q&A sessions, filmmakers can interact with fans, respond to questions, and build a sense of community. With the powerful release dates and interviews of the actors, netizens already built their own kingdom and Barbenheimer was born. We just woke up and it’s everywhere.
they should be friends#Barbie #Oppenheimer #Barbenheimer pic.twitter.com/8ww7WKXGxm
— Z ⛓️ JIGSQUAD POD 7/31 (@thelilnan) July 9, 2023
Fandom culture
Fan art, fan theories, and fan fiction have become important drivers of online conversations, and fandoms play a significant role in spreading the word about movies. The value of these fan-driven initiatives is recognized by the studios, who frequently use fan-generated content in their official marketing campaigns to broaden the movie’s appeal.
Lowkey wanna go see Oppenheimer in all pink and vice versa#Barbenheimer #Barbie #BarbieMovie pic.twitter.com/knaWLkbN7q
— Valdis Vox🐰ENVTUBER🐰 (@ValdisVox) July 29, 2023
There were lots of buzz, quizzes, online frames, quick surveys, crossovers, and many more which made Barbenheimer so untouchable it could go down history. With a black and pink theme most likely opposite to each other, the approach seems like “you have these moods an just can’t help it”.
Global reach and impact
Filmmakers plan coordinated global releases and take advantage of hot topics to increase their film’s visibility globally thanks to the speed and efficiency of social media. Gerwig and Nolan are winning this time, we all know it.
‘BARBENHEIMER’ has the best second weekend presales of all time. pic.twitter.com/Oqq6wc76Ac
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) July 28, 2023
Additionally, it promotes dialogue and responses between individuals from various cultural backgrounds, leading to a wider exchange of thoughts and viewpoints.
User-generated content and crowdsourced marketing
Fans create memes, movie trailers, and promotional videos, share them on social media, and thereby collaborate on the marketing strategy for the film. The visibility, authenticity, and credibility of the movie are all increased by this natural sharing. The hype of these two movies is just everywhere and we can’t stop it. Seems like a good strategy for filmmakers of two genres and people just absolutely love it.
CONCLUSION
Barbie and Oppenheimer’s marketing plans serve as a powerful example of the effectiveness of creativity, relevance, and consistency in digital marketing. Marketing professionals can take their campaigns to new heights by enticing audiences with intriguing teasers, interactive experiences, and celebrity influencers. A sense of urgency, bold branding elements, and strategies that are specifically crafted to match the essence of the product can all help to increase success. In the end, marketing initiatives should be in line with the brand’s core principles in order to give customers a memorable and fulfilling experience that keeps them coming back for more.
