Barbie and Oppenheimer were two of the biggest summer blockbusters. The movies generated buzz before their release, mainly because of their scheduled release date of July 21, 2023.
With two major films debuting on the same day, it created a conundrum for fans. Many wondered if the same release date would hurt the flicks.
A little friendly competition turned out good for both films. Oppenheimer earned $82.4 million during opening weekend, while Barbie took the top spot at $155 million. However, if a producer had things their way, then one of the films would’ve had a different release date.
Margot Robbie reveals an Oppenheimer producer wanted to move Barbie’s release date
Margot Robbie is the star and producer of Barbie. The film was a passion project for the star who worked tirelessly with director Greta Gerwig to create the masterpiece. However, the actress faced a few challenges.
One of the challenges was the film’s release date possibly getting changed. In an interview with Variety, Robbie revealed to Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy that a producer from his film wanted Barbie’s release date moved.
”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.’
And I was like, ‘We’re not moving our date. If you’re scared to be up against us, then move your date.’ And he’s like, ‘We’re not moving our date. I just think it’d be better for you to move. And so was like, ‘We’re not moving!’”
Robbie went on to say that she thought releasing Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day would make for “a really great pairing.” Murphy agreed with her idea and that summer the Barebenheimer movement took over.
Both films have continued earning big bucks at the box office. Barbie grossed $1 billion, while Oppenheimer came in with $950 million.
