This Friday, Hollywood’s two biggest releases including Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie adaptation will hit the screens in India. Both films are receiving a tonne of hype, and early signs point to a solid start at the box office. The two simultaneous releases are almost like a phenomenon with fans and the internet have dubbed it ‘Barbenheimer,’ as many fans are planning back-to-back screenings of the two seemingly different films. The clash has even divided the fans and moviegoers into two teams: Team Oppenheimer and Team Barbie. The booking for both films has been positive and early indicators suggest a strong opening at the box office.
According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, Oppenheimer, which started accepting reservations almost two weeks back, has experienced a strong response and has sold around 1 lakh tickets for the movie’s opening day across major multiplex shows. “Nolan has a huge fan following in India and the ensemble cast includes Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. The storyline is also about a famous real-life character, so Nolan fans are looking forward to it here.”
He adds, “Barbie, which just started offering reservations, has also shown encouraging results. On its first day, the movie sold around 20,000 tickets through several chains, indicating a sizable amount of interest from viewers. It’s great to see such encouraging advance bookings as in the end it is the box office which is going to be the winner.”
Barbie featuring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is a neon-hued fantasy comedy about Barbie-Land expats who go on a quest for self-discovery in the real world. Oppenheimer, on the other hand, is the theoretical physicist who led the development of the atomic bomb.
Calling it one of the most exciting times for moviegoers, trade expert Komal Nahta said, “Both are interesting films in their ways and both are quite iconic because Barbie is a brand and an entity that so millions of people throughout the world have grown up with. And Oppenheimer is a Christopher Nolan movie, one of the biggest names in the industry.”
Nahta also feels that Oppenheimer will have a slight advantage over Barbie, “Oppenheimer is releasing in two languages (English and Hindi) while Barbie doesn’t have a dubbed version yet. Also, the demand for IMAX tickets for Oppenheimer is much higher because this movie is best viewed in that format. Since IMAX tickets are a little costlier, the collections for this film will be marginally better.”
Agreeing with Nahta’s views on the clash, business expert Girish Wankhede also feels that Nolan might just take the edge at the box office, “From Indian box-office point of view, Oppenheimer will take the lead for the sheer reason that it is one of those authentically theatrical mega-scale, premium large format experiences and also thanks to Nolan’s reputation. But Barbie has a huge fan following especially among the female audiences and so it won’t be much behind.”
Wankhede says that many plan to watch both films on the same day, “The social media trend of ‘Barbenheimer,’ is insane. Even in India, I am aware of so many people who have already booked tickets for both films for the same day. Both the films are different genres and it is going to be a treat for the audience.”
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