reinvigorates dying movie theater industry

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, movie theaters, especially locallyowned ones, have struggled to stay afloat. Many consider movie theaters a dying industry since streaming services provide access to hundreds, if not thousands, of movies within the comfort of your own home, for the price equivalent to one movie ticket per month.

Consider the uninspiring film choices at the box office, frequently remakes or sequels, audiences were not exactly running to buy tickets. That is, until Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” debuted on the same opening day, July 21.

The idea of “Barbenheimer” originated on TikTok, possibly as a joke but quickly snowballed into a worldwide trend of seeing both movies on the same day. The interesting juxtaposition of the two films would surely make an unforgettable viewing experience.

“Barbie” is about the classic, lovable doll trying to find her purpose in Barbieland but also the real world.

“Oppenheimer” is about the Manhattan Project and the creation of the atomic bomb.

The double-feature trend made movie theaters more money than they might have expected. Typically, movie theatres see little to no profit from the sale of tickets, because this money goes toward paying the distributor rent for the film. However, “Barbenheimer” has a run time of nearly five hours. Concessions were flying off the shelf, which is where the movie theaters actually make their profit. box office in 2019.

“People came up to the counter asking for ‘Barbenheimer,’” said Becky Dome, manager of North Pointe Cinema. “Although it has died down a little, there’s still a lot of sales for ‘Barbie’ and ‘Oppenheimer.’”

“I worked opening weekend of

$80.5 million during opening weekends. It is safe to say the general public craves original, creative media on the big screen.

“Barbenheimer” has quickly secured its spot in the hearts of viewers, because both movies hold a rating more than 90% “fresh” on Rotten Tomatoes, a movie-rating website. To put this accomplishment in perspective, cult favorite movies, like Kenny Ortega’s “Hocus Pocus” and Joe Pytka’s “Space Jam” hold lower Rotten Tomatoes scores, 37% and 43% respectively.

Since the Writers Guild of America is on strike and Hollywood is at a stand still, it is unclear if there are more original movies on the horizon.

After seeing the success of “Barbie,” Mattel has announced its plans to make 45 more toy-based movies, with main characters including Polly Pocket, Uno, Magic 8 Ball and Viewfinder.

If each film is as successful as “Barbie,” Mattel might be on the brink of creating a cinematic universe that rivals the success of Marvel and DC.

“This was easily our biggest opening weekend since probably ‘Avengers: End Game,’” said Riley McCormick, manager of North Point Cinema, 1060 Mariners Drive, Warsaw. “Every theater was packed.”

“Avengers: End Game” hit the

Barbie and Oppenheimer and it was so busy I had to start escorting people to their theaters and seats,” Levi Jones mentioned.

With the success of both films, Forbes reports “Barbie” grossed $162 million and “Oppenheimer” grossed

However, no release dates have been announced and with the writer’s strike, timelines are ambiguous and hazy.

To learn more about the “Barbenheimer” trend, search the “Barbenheimer” hashtag on TikTok. To find “Barbenheimer” show times, visit northpointecinemas.com.