GREENWOOD — “Barbenheimer” is taking over movie theaters across the nation this weekend.
Greta Gerwig’s ‘Barbie’ and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’ both opening on the same night has people excited to head to the theaters.
At Cinemark in Greenwood, they’re expecting mostly sold-out shows.
According to the National Association of Theater Owners, 200,000 people across the United States have tickets to see both movies on the same day.
Samuel and Arielle Dunipace are seeing Oppenheimer first, followed by Barbie.
Like many others at the theater, Samuel and Arielle dressed up for the movies.
“I bought the tickets, and he was like, ‘Do you have a pink dress?’ And I was like, ‘You know, I think I do,’” Arielle said.
“I ordered a pink outfit, but it arrived late, while I was on my way here, so I had to settle for my roller-skating outfit,” Nelson Figueroa said.
The iconic Barbie movie really needs no explanation.
“I just love the idea that Barbie can be anything she wants to be,” Arielle said.
Oppenheimer is centered around the creation of the atomic bomb.
“I actually majored in physics. I like Christopher Nolan too,” Samuel said.
Moviegoer Noah Sarkin says he wants the knowledge of how the atomic bomb was made.
Barbie and Oppenheimer combined have created a cultural phenomenon, referred to as “Barbenheimer.”
"I don’t think anyone could have predicted this. It’s just really taken off. It's become the center of the cultural conversation," Julia McCartha, with Cinemark, said.
It’s a phenomenon theaters are thankful for as most have struggled after the pandemic and are competing with streaming services.
"We’ve had very strong tickets sales. We’ve added showtimes to keep up with the demand because we want everyone who wants to see these films this weekend to be able to," McCartha said.
WRTV didn't catch up with anyone who saw Oppenheimer, but we asked those who saw Barbie how they liked it, but with no spoilers.
"That was an amazing film. There are no words to describe how good it was," Sarkin said.
"It was great. It was a great movie, it was wonderful. It’s funny, but it’s very deep. I teared about a couple of times," Figueroa said.
