This summer’s Hollywood scene can be summed up in one word: Barbenheimer.
If you’ve been living under a rock, the portmanteau comes from Barbie and Oppenheimer, two blockbuster films that are set to hit theaters the same day. Fans have been overly hyped for the serendipitous double feature, but rumor has it that Christopher Nolan isn’t exactly thrilled.
According to an insider, the renown director has been secretly unhappy with Warner Bros. Pictures for scheduling Greta Gerwig’s Barbie to release on the same day as his own film. Though we can’t ascertain the truth of this rumor, it’s no secret that Nolan has had a complicated relationship with Warner Bros.
To unravel the origins of the dispute between Nolan and Warner Bros., we must journey back to 2020. At the time, movie theaters shuttered their doors due to the raging pandemic. It was a time of uncertainty for the film industry, as release dates were indefinitely postponed and the future appeared grim.
However, in a surprising move in December, Warner Bros. Pictures announced its intention to simultaneously release its 2021 films in theaters and on its streaming platform, HBO Max. This strategic decision aimed to compensate for the losses incurred during the pandemic.
Unsurprisingly, this move drew criticism from numerous filmmakers, including Christopher Nolan. While he had previously shown support for the simultaneous release of Wonder Woman 1984, Nolan revealed he wasn’t involved in any discussions regarding his own 2020 sci-fi thriller, Tenet. This exclusion didn’t sit well with Nolan, contributing to the growing tension between him and Warner Bros.
In 2021, Nolan embarked on a search for a new production studio for his upcoming project, Oppenheimer, which drew interest from Universal Pictures, Apple Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Sony Pictures. Eventually, Nolan struck a deal with Universal Pictures, but not without a set of firm demands.
These included a production budget of $100 million, an equal marketing budget, a theatrical window of at least 100 days, 20 percent of the film’s first-dollar gross, and a three-week exclusivity period before and after the film’s release, during which Universal was prohibited from releasing any other new films.
Now here’s where the plot thickens. Universal Pictures was initially set to produce Barbie, before the long-gestating Mattel film made it out of development hell. After facing numerous setbacks with Universal and even Sony dropping out, the film eventually found a home at Warner Bros. in 2018, with Greta Gerwig signing on to direct the film.
Warner Bros. Pictures had set a release date for Coyote vs. Acme for July 21, but in a highly suspicious turn of events, the film was pulled from its original release date, making way for Barbie to take its place. Interestingly, Christopher Nolan has a history of releasing his films in mid-July, with the only exception being Interstellar.
This has led many insiders to speculate that Warner Bros. intentionally scheduled Barbie on the same day as Oppenheimer as a form of revenge for Nolan’s departure from the studio. While it’s all speculation, when you connect the dots, it does seem like there might be some truth to this theory.
At any rate, no one can blame Nolan for feeling frustrated with Warner Bros.’ shady maneuver. Oppenheimer is his most ambitious project yet but it risks being overshadowed and reduced to an internet meme thanks to the release of Barbie on the same day. The projections don’t look great either; Barbie is expected to rake in $80 to $100 million on its opening weekend, while Oppenheimer is projected to make $50 million.
It’s definitely not the stellar start Nolan will be hoping for, especially considering that Oppenheimer could have easily made double that amount if it had its own premiere date without a blockbuster competitor stealing the spotlight.
