Top 10 Greatest Barbenheimer-esque Box Office Battles
Barbenheimer was a cultural phenomenon that coincided with the simultaneous theatrical release of two films, Warner Bros. Pictures' Barbie and Universal Pictures' Oppenheimer, on July 21, 2023.
The stark contrast between Barbie (a fantasy comedy directed by Greta Gerwig about the iconic fashion doll) and Oppenheimer (an epic biographical thriller by Christopher Nolan about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientific director of the Manhattan Project) prompted a comedic response from internet users.
This isn't the first example of counterprogramming in cinema. Here are 10 of the greatest Barbenheimers.
-
Dr. Thundervago (Thunderball and Doctor Zhivago)
Sean Connery's fourth outing as James Bond goes up against David Lean's romantic epic set during the Russian Revolution, often compared to Gone with the Wind.
-
The Dark Mamma! (The Dark Knight and Mamma Mia!)
Christopher Nolan's Batman sequel featuring Heath Ledger as the Joker faces off against the film adaptation of the beloved stage musical built around the songs of ABBA.
-
Barbenheimer (Barbie and Oppenheimer)
Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie's fantasy comedy about the iconic Mattel doll goes head to head with Christopher Nolan's biopic about the father of the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer.
-
Titanic Never Dies (Titanic and Tomorrow Never Dies)
James Cameron's historical epic about the ill-fated ocean liner RMS Titanic competes with Pierce Brosnan's second outing as James Bond.
-
Smokey Star Wars (Smokey and the Bandit and Star Wars)
Burt Reynolds' hicksploitation comedy about beer smugglers goes head to head with the first film in the Star Wars saga.
-
Fury Pitch Road (Mad Max: Fury Road and Pitch Perfect 2)
George Miller's reboot of the Mad Max saga clashes with Pitch Perfect 2, Anna Kendrick's comedy sequel about an all-female a cappella group.
-
Walk the Goblet of Fire Line (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Walk the Line)
The fourth installment in J.K. Rowling's saga about boy wizard Harry Potter faces off against Walk the Line, a biopic about legendary country musician Johnny Cash and his relationship with June Carter.
-
The Stingxorcist (The Sting and The Exorcist)
Robert Redford and Paul Newman's period heist comedy faces off against Linda Blair's iconic exorcism horror film.
-
The Lion, the Witch and the Brokeback (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Brokeback Mountain)
The first film in the series based on C.S. Lewis' classic Narnia stories competes with Ang Lee's tragic love story about a forbidden gay romance between two ranch hands.
-
Happy Casino (Happy Feet and Casino Royale)
An animated film about dancing penguins competes with Casino Royale, Daniel Craig's first outing as James Bond.
-
?
Freakier Weapons (Freakier Friday and Weapons)
-
?
Mission Holmes: A Game of Ghost Protocols (Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol)
Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows pits Holmes against Professor Moriarty, while Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol follows Ethan Hunt on a covert mission after the IMF is disavowed.
-
Glicked (Wicked and Gladiator II)
Jon M. Chu's film adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked features Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, while Ridley Scott's sequel Gladiator II continues the story of ancient Rome decades after Maximus.
-
Captain Jones (Captain America: Brave New World and Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy)
Marvel's Captain America: Brave New World introduces Anthony Mackie as the new Captain America, while Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is the fourth entry in the romantic comedy series starring Renée Zellweger.
-
Through the Apocalypse Glass (X-Men: Apocalypse and Alice Through the Looking Glass)
Bryan Singer's X-Men: Apocalypse features the mutant team battling the ancient villain Apocalypse, while Disney's fantasy sequel Alice Through the Looking Glass follows Alice's return to Wonderland through time travel.
-
Here We Go Again Equalizer (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and The Equalizer 2)
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again is the musical prequel-sequel revisiting Donna's youth through ABBA songs, while The Equalizer 2 is the action thriller starring Denzel Washington as vigilante Robert McCall.