How Barbie and Oppenheimer created a cultural phenomenon
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer are revitalising cinema and smashing international box office records. The cultural phenomenon that is Barbenheimer has created more than just Dream Land and an ‘atomic’ explosion. Can Barbie be a feminist? Was Oppenheimer conflicted? Is it better to watch a movie on 70mm? Can you Ken-splain that to me? Explore our collection of stories.
★★★½
Is Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan’s best film yet?
The three-hour epic about the father of the atomic bomb is a grand yet grim spectacle.
- by Jake Wilson
Margot Robbie’s Barbie is finally here. Does it live up to the hype?
The year’s most anticipated release tries to faithfully service the history of Barbie, while grappling with modern gender politics.
- by Anwen Crawford
Opinion
Left-wing propaganda or anti-feminist? What Barbie is really trying to say
Yes, Barbie the movie has heard of feminism. (And thinks it sounds awesome!) But how patriarchy-toppling is it really?
- by Diana Reid
The cinemas where Oppenheimer beat Barbie have one thing in common
Barbie smashed box office records, but there are two places in Australia where it is not the number one film.
- by Garry Maddox
Barbie breaks more records as it races towards $1 billion in box office earnings
Barbie has kept the doors open at smaller cinemas, where for some the last financial year was tougher than the previous two.
- by Garry Maddox
Meet the Australian who helped Christopher Nolan build an atom bomb
Oppenheimer features a recreation of the world’s first nuclear blast in the New Mexico desert. Australian Oscar-winner Andrew Jackson helped make it happen.
- by Garry Maddox
With Barbie, Margot Robbie has conquered Hollywood. What’s next?
Barbie is a global smash. But it’s not just for her starring role that Margot Robbie should be earning raves.
- by Karl Quinn
‘Joy you get only a few times in your life’: Cillian Murphy on Oppenheimer casting
The actor plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist behind the development of the nuclear bomb, in Christopher Nolan’s political thriller.
- by Michael Idato
Greta Gerwig dared to turn Barbie into a film, but will it pay off?
Plus, test how your knowledge of the world’s most famous doll measures up.
- by Louise Rugendyke
★★★
Barbie: A soundtrack for the ages? Sure, we’ll see in 30 years
The album tie-in to the hyped movie is intriguing enough, mainly thanks to Ryan Gosling’s power ballad.
- by Robert Moran
How Australian cinemas, and audiences, handled the Barbenheimer juggernaut
Hundreds of thousands of Australians poured into cinemas this weekend, creating significant logistical challenges for both theatre owners and moviegoers.
- by Nell Geraets
‘What a weekend!’ Barbie and Oppenheimer smash the box office around the world
Barbie had the biggest ever opening for a movie directed by a woman.
- by Garry Maddox and Karl Quinn
After Barbie and Oppenheimer, what are the other big movies to look out for this year?
While the Hollywood actors strike could upset the schedule, there are plenty of appealing movies on the way to cinemas, including another one starring Margot Robbie.
- by Garry Maddox
Warner Bros explains line in Barbie’s world map that sparked Vietnam ban
The studio says the line was a “child-like” drawing not intended to make any kind of political statement.
- by Danielle Broadway
Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/link/follow-20170101-p5dtcx