Ever since it was announced that Barbie and Oppenheimer, two of the most highly anticipated films of the summer, would be debuting in theaters on the same day (July 21 for those who don't already have, social media has had a field day with the dichotomy between the two.
Films releasing on the same day is hardly an uncommon event, yet something about Barbieand Oppenheimer — colloquially now often referred to as Barbenheimer — overlapping in such a manner has created something new.
Perhaps it’s due to the juxtaposition of the seriousness of a film about the atomic bomb and the poppy pink plastic world of Mattel coming to life. Maybe it’s simply because of the devoted fan base both Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy have acquired over the years, not to mention how much overlap there seems to be between the two.
Whatever the reason, when one film is mentioned on Twitter or TikTok, it seems the other isn’t far behind, colliding in a glitter-bomb frenzy that has meme-makers working overtime.
