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Barbie vs Oppenheimer latest: Greta Gerwig explains Barbie’s ending after record-breaking box office debut

Gerwig broke the domestic box office record for female director with ‘Barbie’ debut

Peony Hirwani,Inga Parkel
Tuesday 25 July 2023 09:39 BST
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Barbie cast turn London Eye pink to celebrate film premiere

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Greta Gerwig has broken the domestic box office record for a female director, with Barbie debuting at $155m in North America and $337m globally.

The film surpassed the $103.3m domestic opening of Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman and the $153m weekend opening of 2019’s Captain Marvel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cinemas around the world were busier than ever over the weekend, thanks to the simultaneous release of Barbie and Oppenheimer, with excitement for Gerwig and Christopher Nolan’s respective blockbusters going into overdrive.

While Oppenheimer’s critical ratings have blown past Barbie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomato score, the latter, which stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has surpassed the Cillian Murphy-starring biopic’s box office takings.

In a new interview with The Independent, Nolan described Oppenheimer as “the biggest film I’ve made”. Murphy admitted to struggling to watch the film due to seeing his face projected on the screen, but acknowledged that the film is “designed” to be “watched with an audience”.

Meanwhile, Gerwig has spoken about her film’s “mic drop” ending, after breaking the record for the biggest box office debut by a female director.

Margot Robbie ‘really flattered’ by internet’s obsession with her feet

Margot Robbie has said she is “really flattered” by the attention her feet have received in Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie movie.

In the film, which was released in the UK on Friday (21 July), several closeup shots reveal Robbie’s perfectly arched feet. In one scene that went viral after the official trailer released in April, Robbie slips out of a pair of fluffy pink heels. However, instead of standing normally, Robbie’s Barbie stays on her tiptoes in a nod to how the toy doll appears.

While fans have praised Gerwig for the film’s attention to detail, it appears that others have become obsessed with Robbie’s feet.

Read more:

(Getty Images / Warner Bros. Pictures)

Margot Robbie ‘really flattered’ by internet’s obsession with her feet

The Australian actor has been praised for her perfectly arched feet in Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated ‘Barbie’ movie

Inga Parkel21 July 2023 16:30

Barbie earns astounding $22.3m in Thursday previews

Barbie’s’ box office reign has officially begun. On Thursday (20 July), the movie quickly outshined all other summer blockbusters in previews, making $22.3m (£17.3m).

Oppenheimer earned $10.5m (£8m) in Thursday previews.

Inga Parkel21 July 2023 16:00

What order should you watch Barbie and Oppenheimer in?

Some have argued that the lighter tone of Barbie would make it a good pallette cleanser after the intensity of Oppenheimer, while others have claimed that the heavy content of Nolan’s film would overshadow the levity of Barbie, should you watch it in that order.

Many people, including actors and critics, have weighed in on the best order to watch “Barbenheimer”.

What order should you watch Barbie and Oppenheimer in?

Many people are attempting to take on the ‘Barbenheimer’ double bill, with both films out now

Roisin O'Connor21 July 2023 15:30

Barbie review: A near-miraculous achievement from Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie gets the five-star treatment from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey:

Barbie is a near-miraculous achievement – movie review

While it’s impossible for any studio film to be truly subversive, this Mattel-approved comedy gets away with far more than you’d think was possible

Roisin O'Connor21 July 2023 15:00

Oppenheimer review: Clever, imaginative and Christopher Nolan at his best

Oppenheimer is clever, imaginative and Christopher Nolan at his best – review

Cillian Murphy allows the light to dim from his eyes in every subsequent scene, but it is Robert Downey Jr who is titanic here

Roisin O'Connor21 July 2023 14:30

Barbie: The Album review – Billie Eilish leads a soundtrack that’s as erratic as the movie that inspired it

“Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, the inescapable Margot Robbie movie inspired by the Mattel doll, which arrives in cinemas this week, ties itself in knots as it goes along – parodying itself, critiquing itself, and eagerly attempting to justify its very existence just in case anyone asks. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a child’s toybox – there’s colour, joy and imagination, yet it’s a total mess. Its soundtrack – which features everyone from Sam Smith and Nicki Minaj to Ryan Gosling doing an impression of Freddie Mercury by way of one of the lesser *Nsyncs – appropriately follows suit.”

Read Adam White’s review:

The Barbie soundtrack is as erratic as the movie that inspired it – review

Unusually, the bigger names here – including Dua Lipa and Sam Smith – are the most underwhelming

Roisin O'Connor21 July 2023 14:00

Are Christopher Nolan’s films right-wing? Oppenheimer finally suggests otherwise

The 52-year-old filmmaker’s work has long prompted speculation over his political views, from the supposedly pro-conservative ‘Dark Knight’ to the anti-war messaging of ‘Tenet’. Does his nuclear biopic ‘Oppenheimer’ hold any answers, asks Louis Chilton

Are Christopher Nolan’s films right-wing? Oppenheimer finally suggests otherwise

The 52-year-old filmmaker’s work has long prompted speculation over his political views, from the supposedly pro-conservative ‘Dark Knight’ to the anti-war messaging of ‘Tenet’. Does his nuclear biopic ‘Oppenheimer’ hold any answers, asks Louis Chilton

Roisin O'Connor21 July 2023 13:30

What order should you watch Barbie and Oppenheimer in?

With the two films out on the same day, many people have committed to seeing them one after the other, as part of a self-curated double bill.

The radically different tones of the two films has, however, provoked some debate regarding the optimal order in which to view the films.

My colleague Louis Chilton has sought out some expert commentary, from actors to critics:

What order should you watch Barbie and Oppenheimer in?

Many people are attempting to take on the ‘Barbenheimer’ double bill, with both films out now

Roisin O'Connor21 July 2023 13:00

ICYMI: Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy reacts to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later sequel update

Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy has reacted to the news that a new 28 Days Later sequel appears to be happening.

In June, the film’s director Danny Boyle and writer Alex Garland revealed plans to make a follow-up to their hit 2000 horror film 28 Days Later, in which Murphy played the lead role of Jim.

During a conversation with The Independent’s Jacob Stolworthy, the actor said news of the sequel was “great to hear”, and responded to a question of whether he’d like to be involved.

Full story below:

Cillian Murphy addresses Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later sequel update

‘I didn’t know that,’ the ‘Oppenheimer’ star said

Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 12:30

The true story behind Christopher Nolan’s biopic about ‘the father of the atomic bomb’

Ahead of Oppenheimer’s release, Tom Murray has investigate the life of the man at the centre of the film.

Robert J Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy in Christopher Nolan’s movie, was an American scientist who played a crucial role in the invention of the atomic bomb.

Read more below.

The horrifying true story behind Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

Real-life scientist behind the atomic bomb has a complicated legacy in America

Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 12:00

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