Ever since the first trailer for Barbie dropped, anticipation for Greta Gerwig’s new movie starring Margot Robbie as the infamous Barbie has continued to grow. This is in part thanks to the creative and marketing team behind Barbie, as the Barbiecore aesthetic seems to be taking over the world and there’s pink everywhere. But in addition to all the pink and glamor of Barbie, another highly anticipated movie is coming to theaters the same weekend. Christopher Nolan’s latest movie, Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer is ready to make an impact.
The two movies couldn’t appear to be more different, but Americans are excited to see both. In fact, fans dubbed the weekend Barbenheimer weekend. Barbenheimer is trending on social media, as moviegoers eagerly await opening weekend in the U.S.
The company Digital Third Coast conducted a Google search terms analysis to determine which of the two movies Americans was getting the most interest in each state. The results? There’s a fairly even split of states excited about both movies, but Barbie does top Oppenheimer with 27 states excited about the adventures of Barbie and Ken, in comparison to the 23 states excited about Nolan’s latest film.
Both movies have stellar casts and directors. In addition to Murphy, Oppenheimer stars actors such as Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Jack Quaid, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, and Rami Malek, among many others. In addition to Barbie (Robbie), Barbie stars Ryan Gosling, Will Ferrell, Emma Mackey, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Kate McKinnon, America Ferrera, and Issa Rae, with many others.
Both movies have A-list casts, what are some of the other differences?
There’s an obvious difference in plot and themes. Barbie is about a Barbie doll that leaves the Barbie DreamHouse and ventures out into the “real world” with Ken. While Oppenheimer is about The Manhattan Project, which was the development of the atomic bomb.
Another stark difference is the run time. Barbie has a run time of one hour and 54 minutes, while Oppenheimer’s run time is three hours. For those adventuring to see both movies in one weekend, which will be seen first?
With contrasting themes and styles, this cinematic clash invites audiences of all ages to explore the spectrum of storytelling, from the magical realms of childhood dreams to the intellectual depths of historical reflection. As movie buffs debate which film to choose, the box office eagerly awaits the verdict of these highly anticipated summer blockbusters.
Digital Third Coast analyzed 108 Google search terms relating to the Barbie and Oppenheimer movies. For state-level data, they looked at search volume per capita averages over the past three months.
Digital Third Coast www.digitalthirdcoast.com