The internet going crazy for two films about kids’ dolls and weapons of mass destruction couldn’t have been on many people’s bingo cards.
But with Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer set to come out on the same day, 21 July, you’d be challenged to name a more iconic duo.
The hype around the movies could hardly have been more different. Barbie is, well, Barbie; it’s pink, pretty and plastic. Oppenheimer is the atom bomb: fire and brimstone, the destroyer of worlds.
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Social media doesn’t see it that way, though. As cinemas gear up to show the movies back-to-back – and film-goers argue over which one to watch first – the meme factory has been working on overdrive.
Here are some of the best Twitter has to offer:
It recently emerged that the Barbie dream house had mysteriously appeared in Malibu. It comes complete with a pool, huge balconies and that signature pink finish. Oh, and you can stay there on Airbnb soon.
Unfortunately, Oppenheimer fans had an idea for how they could counter the excellent work done by Barbie’s marketing team with a slightly more destructive piece of marketing of their own.
They wouldn’t... Would they?
People are already planning their entire days around the dual event. Are you Oppenheimer first, then Barbie? (Otherwise known as Oppenbarbie.)
Or are you doing it the other, incorrect way? Because if you’re seeing Barbie in the morning followed by a chaser of atomic doom in the evening (Barbenheimer, apparently), you’re doing it all wrong, apparently.
Which camp (or state) do you fall into?
These two iconic houses in Santa Monica almost nail the difference in tone between the two films without even knowing it:
Yes, of course, there is merch.
And even the stars of the films themselves have joined in the fun:
Instagram has even made a trailer.
The good news is, whichever you go for – Barbenheimer or Oppenbarbie – there's one thing everyone can agree on...
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