Bringing some closure to the phenomenon that was Barbenheimer, Barbie's Margot Robbie and Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy reflected on how the two films actually bolstered each other in a conversation for Variety's Actors on Actors.
But it wasn't some genius marketing strategy that led to the two blockbusters having a same-day release, Robbie revealed; it was just stubbornness.
"One of your producers, Chuck Roven, called me, because we worked together on some other projects. And he was like, 'I think you guys should move your date,'" Robbie told Murphy, her voice turning serious as she recounted the exchange. In addition to playing the titular role in the Greta Gerwig film, Robbie also worked behind-the-camera as a producer.
"I was like, 'We’re not moving our date. If you’re scared to be up against us, then you move your date,'" she continued. "And he’s like, 'We’re not moving our date. I just think it’d be better for you to move.' And I was like, 'We’re not moving! I think this is a really great pairing, actually.'"
Murphy praised Robbie's intuition, though she credits theatergoers with turning the double billing into the event of the summer: "Clearly the world agreed. Thank God."
Box office shattering records aside, Barbenheimer went viral in June 2023 when cinephiles blew up the internet with memes and passionate discussion about the highly anticipated same-day release of Barbie and Oppenheimer. Both films had impressive debuts on July 21, which Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy playfully downplayed as "reasonably successful" while talking to Robbie.
"Christopher Nolan was always determined that [Oppenheimer] would be released in the summer as a big tentpole movie. That was always his plan. And he has this superstition around that date, the 21st," Murphy said.
Indeed, when looking back on the release dates for Nolan's past films, it's clear the Academy Award-winning director seems to have a thing for splashy mid-July premieres. 2017's Dunkirk also debuted on July 21, and other popular works in Nolan's filmography like The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises and Inception had mid-July releases as well.
"It's a good date. We picked that day too!" Robbie joked.
And boy, we're sure glad they did.
To learn more about how this accidental cinematic phenomenon became so successful, take a look at All the Records Barbenheimer Has Broken (So Far) and Why Barbenheimer Has Box Office Analysts Reeling.
