by Veronica Wakefield
Blockbusters are back! Now that the world is starting to venture out again for entertainment activities, herds of people are making their way back to theaters. On Friday, July 21, many flooded the roads to see the double premiere of Barbie and Oppenheimer, to which movie enthusiasts coined the term “Barbenheimer.” The long-awaited release of these two films had moviegoers scrambling to purchase premiere day tickets; both films were built as a must-see on the big screen movies.
Barbie lovers were dressed in their most extravagant pink costumes for the film, from cowboy hats to tutus skirts, while moviegoers expecting to see a double feature of Barbie and Oppenheimer wore shirts that resembled a pink explosion as a collision of both films. Movie theaters were packed to the brim for the blockbuster event.
However, attendees of the AMC Marple in Springfield weren’t so lucky. Unfortunately, film enthusiasts at the AMC were unable to see either one of the blockbuster films due to a power outage. The evening prior, a tree had fallen onto one of the theaters’ powerlines, which caused a massive blackout. The power outage took out all vending machines, popcorn makers, lighting, and all theaters. When the AMC staff arrived, they only had power for the lighting and the food; the outage fried multiple movie projectors. Since all the theaters were not up and running, guests were not allowed into the establishment, and guests that purchased tickets online received a full refund within twenty-four hours.
“We could not get the theater running at all. We’ve been here all day talking to guests. All powerlines [and] phone lines were even down. We spoke to the guest to let them know we’re sorry for the mishap and we’re sorry for the hiccup. We apologize on behalf of AMC Marple 10, but this is not our fault,” said a supervisor only identified as Ross B.
Even though my first trip to see Barbie ended in a premier day catastrophe, the movie was worth the wait. I was able to see Barbie a week later at the Regal Theater in Manayunk, and even after a week, moviegoers still dressed in bright pink.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, follows Barbie and Ken’s adventure into the real world. There are many Barbies in the film, with each Barbie presenting different careers, such as a journalist, president, doctor, and lawyer. The film had a budget of $145 million and even caused a global pink shortage. Barbie grossed about $155 million on its opening weekend, and the movie surpassed all expectations. What looked like a light-hearted film about the world’s most nostalgic doll turned into a film about the effects of the patriarchy on women. The film was both powerful and sentimental, calling attention to how unfairly women are treated on a daily basis.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, starring Cillian Murphy, tells the story of Julius Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist and director of Los Alamos Laboratory during World War II. He is often credited as the “father of the atomic bomb.” The film shows his journey to create the atomic bomb. Christopher Nolan is said to not have used any CGI within the film. The film’s budget was $100 million. Oppenheimer grossed about $80.5 million this opening weekend.
