Why did Warner Bros. decide to open “Barbie” on the same date (July 21) as Nolan’s “Oppenheimer”? Because they can. But there’s much more to this story than meets the eye.
Warner Bros. and Nolan have had a 20-year friendship that dates back to “Insomnia.” However, when Warners decided to break the theatrical window and dump their 2021 film slate simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, Nolan packed his suitcases and went to Universal.
"Some of our industry's biggest filmmakers and most important movie stars went to bed the night before thinking they were working for the greatest movie studio and woke up to find out they were working for the worst streaming service," Nolan told THR in December 2020.
According to Insider, four sources, familiar with the matter, are saying that Nolan is upset about Warner Bros. scheduling "Barbie" for release on the same weekend as "Oppenheimer. They went on to add that usually mid-July has been known as "Nolan's weekend" for years in the industry.
Supposedly, even the “movie-theatre community” attempted to convince Warner Bros. to move the release date of "Barbie,” but the studio adamantly refused.
The reason why the "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" showdown has become such a big deal is because it’s very rare for studios to date two big blockbusters on the same weekend. “They want to keep their big releases away from other major titles because opening on the same weekend can result in fewer box-office dollars for both.”
Clearly, Warner Bros. saw an opportunity and this has resulted in a an absolute marketing BLITZ on their part for “Barbie.” The results might speak for themselves, Greta Gerwig’s IP-oriented flick is projected to have an opening of as high as $90 million.
Meanwhile, the R-rated “Oppenheimer,” a 3-hour biopic partially shot in black and white, is looking at a $50 million on opening weekend. Reviews for both films are still embargoed, but, judging from the early reactions, “Oppenheimer” might be the more critically-acclaimed of the two.
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.