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While “Barbenheimer” — the day that marks the simultaneous release of both Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer — has been a source of amusement and, frankly, utter joy for movie fans, Nolan himself reportedly isn’t too thrilled about the whole thing.
According to a report from Insider, Nolan — who used to call Warner Bros. his home studio prior to their ugly breakup back in 2020 — was “upset” with their decision to release Barbie on the same weekend as Oppenheimer, which is being distributed by Universal Pictures.
“Now, you must know I’m not going to answer that question only to say those who care about the theatrical experience, we’ve been longing for a crowded marketplace with a lot of different movies. That’s what theaters have now, and those of us who care about movies are thrilled about that,” Nolan said.
Four sources familiar with the matter said Nolan wasn’t nearly as diplomatic in his stance behind the scenes. The sources said that Nolan was upset that Warner Bros. scheduled Barbie for release on the same weekend as Oppenheimer, especially since mid-July has been known in the movie business as “Nolan’s weekend” for years.
Furthermore, despite apparent pleas from movie theater exhibitors, Warner Bros. refused to shift Barbie away from its scheduled July 21 release date.
At this time, Barbie is currently tracking to come out on top at the box office, as its currently tracking to make about $80 million at the domestic box office during its opening weekend, while Oppenheimer is tracking to make in the range of $40 million.
Oppenheimer might wind up being the bigger critical success, though, as early reviews are hailing the film as Nolan’s masterpiece and are predicting that it will contend for Academy Awards at next year’s Oscars.
Check out the trailers for both Oppenheimer and Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21, below.