Barbie versus Oppenheimer

The good news is that cinema is not dead. As an ardent cinephile waking up to learn that the box office has had its best weekend since the Covid-19 pandemic, it's a relief to see that there is still is a huge appetite for joining a group of strangers in a darkened room and being immersed in a story.

The Barbenheimer phenomenon speaks to what cinema offers that other ways of consuming films cannot and offers some insights into how cinema can continue to adapt to maintain its relevance.

What are the ingredients?

The directors: Films by Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan always create a buzz. Film lovers eagerly await their next creation. Auteurs who offer original and thought provoking work that eschew the banal and predictable while remaining popular to a mainstream audience. Pit them against each other and you are already fuelling the fire or their existing fans – many of whom, me included, would always rush to see a film by each of them.

The director vs the monster: the distributor. Whether it's true or not the story that Christopher Nolan has a beef with Warner Brothers creates an added dimension to the social media chatter. The idea that his move away from Warner Bros over the way they pulled films from cinemas during Covid prompted them to release Barbie at the same time as Oppenheimer is a delicious bit of skulduggery worthy of any Hollywood plot.

Venturing out to the big screen

So we have the chatter, but how does this translate into overcoming the inertia of filmgoers, initially driven away from cinemas during the pandemic and now content to stream films in the comfort of their living rooms.

YouGov's polling of Barbie and Oppenheimer fans offers some suggestions.

To start with, the data makes it clear that neither set of fans go to the cinema very much. Indeed, very few people in the UK go regularly. If film makers think that delivering a good story will entice people back to the cinema, they are misguided. 

Viewing at home, on mobile devices, in small chunks of time can all deliver good stories to us. We can often be more comfortable and enjoy better sound quality at home – unobstructed by the head of a tall chap sitting in front of us. 

We also don't have to put up with the person next to us distracting us with their phone or telling us off for using our own. Then there's the expense, the travel, the organising.

Why would anyone want to go to the cinema? Of course there is the spectacle. Christopher Nolan gets this and his films consistently deliver spectacle that is significantly diminished on a smaller screen – indeed he offers his films in a variety of formats including 70mm and 35mm prints that reinforce the significance of the viewing experience. 

Shared experiences

But I believe it's not just the spectacle on the screen that we seek. It's the spectacle of the audience. We still – and will always – crave events which bring us together. Events in which the heightened emotions of the group enhance our own enjoyment. 

Sadly cinema has seldom offered this over the last few years. If we have ventured to the cinema, we are often watching a in a room with barely a handful of other people. The film may be great but the supporting act certainly doesn't add anything and we too often leave feeling everyone else must be having fun somewhere else. 

And this is where the genius of the Barbenheimer marketeers comes into play. The YouGov stats confirm what could easily be predicted – the two films appeal to different demographics. But demographics that between them account for a huge swathe of the population – young and old, male and female. 

In pitting the films against each other, it was always unlikely that one film would poach the audience of the other but what it has done is ensure that everyone is able to share a conversation about cinema this week. 

Creating cultural moments

If you go to the cinema this week you are part of an event that involves us all – not just your usual echo chamber.  And retailers are further fuelling the fever, with shops full of pink Barbie clothes. News articles on Oppenheimer, his legacy and untold story abound. Cinema has taken centre stage.

The films need to be good of course but the real phenomenon is that cinema is the talking point. Cinema itself is bringing us together.  And If everyone is talking about it, we don't want to miss out. We're choosing our side, joining in the conversation and heading to the cinema.

Fortunately for the future of cinema, the films have delivered. Each film has not only received rave reviews as a film but has provided that event we crave – full cinemas delivering that heightened emotion of the group, gasps, laughter, dressing up opportunities. 

Will this change the fortunes of cinemas? I hope it will as I believe in the importance of our coming together to experience the creation of cultural moments that live long in our memory. No other medium is able to do this. Theatre and live performance of course offer something similar but only to the small number of people attending that event and with soaring prices of much of theatre, few of us are able access it. 

In a cinema, we become part of a group who are part of wider mass of people around the country, around the world - bringing us closer together in our understanding of humanity – something Oppenheimer and Barbie would both approve of.

Justin Spray is on Instagram: @justin.spray