Barbie Vs Oppenheimer
Barbie
By Mia Wurster
I would not blame you if you said, “What’s Oppenheimer about?” because it is Barbie's world we are living in. On July 21 2023, the best movie in existence was released. For anyone fortunate enough to see this masterpiece on that fine Saturday, their world was changed forever. This movie has become more than just a film, but a baby step toward equality.
The movie was directed by Greta Gerwig, who, according to the New York Times, became the first woman to have the sole directing credit on a billion-dollar film. And, how could you not absolutely love a movie with Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie starring in the film as Barbie and Ken?
For starters, I’ll talk numbers, ultimately, about how Barbie took over the box office. According to Box Office Mojo, Barbie made the most money at the box office in 2023 with $620.23 million, while Oppenheimer is the fourth, having made $315.1 million. These people probably just attended Oppenheimer because Barbie was sold out. Barbie also comes in first worldwide, making $1.4 billion. Out of 82 responders to the Wind-Up survey, 63.4 percent said they liked the Barbie movie more than Oppenheimer.
At first glance, a movie about dolls and pink doesn't look all that appealing, but it became so much more. The brand brings huge nostalgic value to the table. Ayalla Ruvio, a professor of marketing at Michigan State University’s Broad College of Business who studies consumer behavior, told ABC News, “It doesn’t matter how old people are–30, 40, 60–they all think the movie is targeted toward them.”
Greta Gerwig expressed to TIME that “at heart this is a mother-daughter movie. Barbie is relative to every girl, because every one most likely played with one. Every girl has an opinion on it.”
“The movie was really empowering and eye opening to what our mothers do for us. It made me appreciate my mom more,” Avery Valenti, 11, said.
Daughters, mothers, and grandmothers can all deeply relate to this movie. The movie highlighted the way many women feel they are treated in this somewhat-patriarchal society we are living in.
“I think my favorite quote from the movie was, ‘one thing men and women can agree on is that we hate women.’, this movie displayed how being a woman is a constant attack, and struggle to be respected,” Addison Covert, 11 expressed.
However, this is not just a movie for women. Men can enjoy it just as much as women. While Barbie is on a journey of self-discovery, Ken is also on a journey to finding himself.
Adding to the fun and nostalgia of the film, people showed up to the theaters dressed up in pink. This made going to the theaters not just a trip to go watch a movie, but an experience you share with everyone in the theater.
The summer of pink began even before Barbie was released. Barbie teamed up with several ads, flooding social media. When googling “Barbie”, pink fireworks show up on device screens.
“Barbie’ also received a boost from its 100-plus brand collaborations, from Pinkberry frozen yogurt to a promotion with Airbnb that allowed the winners to stay in Barbie’s Malibu house,” Amy Laskowski wrote for Boston University Today.
If you want to laugh, cry, or watch Ryan Gosling sing about how he is enough, I recommend not wasting three hours watching a movie about bombs. I recommend putting on some pink and going to see Barbie.
Oppenheimer
By Juswin Judge
Die Hard, Terminator, James Bond– there’s nothing better than a movie where a middle-aged white guy blows up a bunch of stuff. It’s okay to enjoy the simple things in life; which is why this weekend, you should get some Taco Bell, set your fantasy lineup, and watch Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. It may not be glamorous, but Oppenheimer leaves viewers with the same call to action as Barbie, just about a different topic.
Viewers didn’t mind, as Oppenheimer has grossed over $900 million worldwide according to Rolling Stone, making it the highest-grossing biopic of all time. Now, I know Barbie fans are gonna chirp and say it made more, but they’re forgetting that Oppenheimer is over an hour longer, which means that theaters can’t run as many shows, and viewers pay less per minute watched– talk about getting more bang for your buck! If that’s not enough to convince you to watch, just know that Rotten Tomatoes reports critics and audiences alike enjoyed Nolan’s masterpiece more than Barbie.
While most people come for the explosions, they’ll stay for the amazing story, cast, and explosions. Oppenheimer helps viewers understand the terror of creating something too powerful for man to possess, while presenting debates on hard hitting topics that are still relevant today. Xander Lemyre, 12, enjoyed his experience watching Oppenheimer and thought it was the best movie released on July 21st.
“I thought as a complete creative work Oppenhiemer was better than Barbie, and my favorite scene was after the Trinity test when he had visions of people dying in front of him,” Xander explained.
This scene and many more throughout encapsulate the gravity that Oppenheimer provides, and highlight just how special of a movie it is.
In addition to its amazing writing, Oppenheimer’s all-star cast puts any movie released this year to shame, even Barbie. Starring Cillian Murphy, other roles in the movie are played by Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, and Casey Affleck. These stars gave incredible performances, engrossing viewers for all three hours while simultaneously making the incredibly difficult scientific concepts easy for audiences to comprehend.
It’s more complex, it’s longer, and it doesn’t have as much pink, but the story and message of Oppenheimer makes it without a doubt the best movie of 2023. While some will still enjoy Barbie more, if you think about the Roman Empire more than once a week, Oppenheimer is the perfect movie for you.