A double feature is an event in which movie distributors will show two movies back to back. Barbenheimer is a similar occurrence, except for the fact that all joint advertising is audience driven, in the form of internet memes. This media advertising has created a highly anticipated movie theater occasion in which individuals will watch both movies in one trip.

Following the successful opening weekend of “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One,” Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” are projected to be box office successes with “more than 20,000 AMC Stubs members hav[ing] purchased tickets to see “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” on the same day” (Ruben, Variety).

The News tracked ticket sales in two Connecticut movie theaters (Connecticut Post 14 and Cinemark Tinseltown) to support these results on a smaller scale.* Below, each movie, along with show times, are listed in accordance with sold seats in comparison to total seats.

Barbie Total Percentage of Tickets Sold: 71.48 = 71.5%

Connecticut Post 14 Cinemark Tinseltown
5:50 pm – 162 sold (total seats 205) = 79.02 5:55 pm – 92 sold (total seats 116) = 79.31
6:20 pm – 53 sold (total seats 100) = 53 6:30 pm – 45 sold (total seats 75) = 60
7:20 pm – 58 sold (total seats 80) = 72.5 7:30 pm – 102 sold (total seats 136) = 75
8:40 pm – 43 sold (total seats 196) = 78.06 8:45 pm – 87 sold (total seats 116) = 75

 

Oppenheimer Total Percentage of Tickets Not Sold: 53.77 = 53.8%

Connecticut Post 14 Cinemark Tinseltown
5:55 pm – 44 sold (seats 71) = 61.97 6:45 pm – 162 sold (seats 179) = 90.5
9:00 pm – 56 sold (seats 106) = 52.83 9:00 pm – 33 sold (seats 116) = 28.44
9:55 pm – 21 sold (seats 71) = 29.57 9:40 pm – 11 sold (seats 84) = 13.09

 

According to the above metrics, Barbie is the popular first pick (selling an average 71.5 percent of seats) while Oppenheimer is second (selling an average 53.8 percent of seats).

“Barbie”, the Greta Gerwig directed comedy, brings beloved Mattel doll, Barbie, to life, along with her boyfriend, Ken. This year will mark Barbie’s 64th anniversary, as the co-founders of Mattel, Ruby and Matt Handler, created the first doll in 1959. The original Barbie was an 11 inch, plastic doll, with the figure of an adult woman (Lord, Britannica). Today, the dolls are now presented in an inclusive array of backgrounds and sizes, all occupying Barbie’s vast professional capabilities. 

Promotional products for Barbie have included clothing, toys, interactive experiences, and more, all featuring the bright pink and white logo. Warner Bros., the movie’s distribution company, is behind the film’s successful advertising. The results of a “first watch poll”, conducted by the News, confirms that 65 percent of the population would choose Barbie as their first watch.

Jalynn says, “…I just saw more advertising for Barbie…”, after choosing Barbie in response to the poll.

The marketing of “Barbie” has created a highly anticipated social event that can be enjoyed by individuals of all ages (as the movie is rated PG-13) and can be complemented by Oppenheimer’s R rated mature topics. 

Oppenheimer, directed by famed Christopher Nolan, is a World War II drama depicting the detailed development of the atomic bombs in the United States funded Manhattan Project. The film focuses on the Los Alamos Laboratory, spearheaded by physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, tasked with successfully creating the first atomic bomb. Three years after Oppenheimer’s stationing, the first two atomic bombs were dropped in Japan (AHF).

Isaiah, after choosing Oppenheimer says “…the plot feels complex and [the] movie discusses something that has [a] significant impact on [the] human race.”

Oppenheimer, according to the poll results, will be the second watch of movie-goers, as 35 percent chose it as their first watch.

The concepts of these two movies directly contrast one another, bringing to life the world of Barbenheimer, a double feature that entails intense drama, history, comedy, and pop culture. 

*Ticket sales data taken between 5:45 – 6:01 on Thursday July 20th