Barbie cast turn London Eye pink to celebrate film premiere
Hollywood feels more like the centre of the universe than ever this week as the arrival of the two biggest films of the year coincides with a historic actors’ strike.
Anticipation for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has reached a fever pitch ahead of their release in unison on 21 July.
Axios has reported this week that movie theatres in Texas, Washington DC and Atlanta have already sold out of tickets for the Margot Robbie-led feature about the famous toy doll.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer star Matt Damon got personal about his decision to join the movie, which came after he promised his wife he’d take an acting break in couples’ therapy.
Oppenheimer’s London premiere was cut short, however, as the cast left early in preparation for the SAG-AFTRA strike order, which was initiated hours after the event.
The actors’ union joined the Writers Guild of America, which has been on strike since early May, over demands for increases in base pay and residuals in the streaming TV era, plus assurances that their work will not be replaced by AI.
The Independent gives ‘Oppenheimer’ four stars
In her four-star review, The Independent’s film critic Clarisse Loughrey called Oppenheimer Christopher Nolan’s “best and most revealing work”.
“The film is constructed in a way that allows its audience to comprehend, on an intellectual level, the profound power and chaos that led its central character to see himself as the ‘Death, destroyer of worlds’ of Hindu scripture,” she writes.
However, Loughrey adds that Oppenheimer perhaps fails to burrow deeply “into that profound, emotional space that can be both overwhelming and difficult to verbalise. It’s a little too conscious of itself, and the ways cinema crafts its own reality.”
Read the review in full here:
Matthew Cooper19 July 2023 17:17
Will ‘Oppenheimer’ be released in Japan?
Due to the nature of the themes involved, many people are wondering whether Oppenheimer will be released in Japan.
The film depicts the atomic bombs dropping on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which killed around 200,000 people.
Some rumours have therefore circulated that the film is band in the territory; however, this has been debunked.
Tom Murray19 July 2023 21:39
‘Oppenheimer’ blasts past ‘Barbie’ on Rotten Tomatoes
Barbie debuted on Rotten Tomatoes yesterday (18 July) with an impressive critics’ score of 90 per cent.
However, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has taken the cherry with a near-perfect score of 94 per cent at the time of writing.
Tom Murray19 July 2023 19:56
Is your Barbiecore ready for your cinema outing?
For the last couple of weeks, the buzz surrounding Greta Gerwig’s new live-action film has transformed the world into “Barbie land”, as fashion fans embrace the film-inspired fads and obsess over Margot Robbie’s odes to vintage Mattel dolls on the red carpet. Between pink gowns, fur trims, polka dots, and kitten heels, Barbie has become the official summer wear trendsetter – and it’s fantastic.
So in case you’re in need of some Barbiecore inspiration, continue reading:
(@madisonhoward59 and @jennyxngyn)
Fans are desperate to find the perfect pink look to watch the ‘Barbie’ movie in theatres
Inga Parkel19 July 2023 19:30
Margot Robbie, an Australian, briefly forgets what ‘barbie’ means in Australia
Oops, it looks like Margot Robbie has spent too much time away from her native Australia.
During an appearance on Australian network Channel 10’s The Project talk show, co-host Sam Taunton mentioned to Greta Gerwig that the word “barbie” does not refer to the iconic doll in the country.
He said: “It means so much to so many people. I’m not sure if Margot told you, but the word ‘barbie’ means something else in Australia. Did you brief Greta about it?”
But Robbie, who was born in the rural town of Dalby in Queensland, Australia, appeared confused and asked: “What does it mean here?”
(AFP via Getty Images)
The ‘Barbie’ star appeared embarrassed by her blunder
Inga Parkel19 July 2023 18:30
‘The “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” casts not being able to do any more publicity feels like the end of task day on “The Apprentice”’
Tom Murray19 July 2023 18:03
‘Oppenheimer’ debuts with 96 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes
Tom Murray19 July 2023 17:47
Vue CEO says 22 per cent of people who booked tickets to ‘Oppenheimer’ also booked tickets for ‘Barbie’
In a statement sent to The Independent, Tim Richards, founder and CEO of Vue International said: “We’re seeing incredible demand in the UK for both Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, part of this summer’s wave of blockbusters, and 22 per cent of people who booked tickets to Oppenheimer also booked tickets for Barbie.
“Barbie pre-sales to date are higher than any other blockbuster released this year and we expect this strong demand to continue, putting Barbie on track to become the biggest movie of 2023 in the UK so far.”
Vue added that any Barbie fans who bring a real-life Ken along with them to the cinema chain during the Barbie opening weekend (21 – 23 July) will receive either a free regular Tango Ice Blast or popcorn.
Tom Murray19 July 2023 17:35
Every Barbie-inspired outfit Margot Robbie has worn so far
Margot Robbie has been delivering some memorable fashion moments throughout the press tour for the highly-anticipated Barbie film, and the looks just keep coming.
(AP)
The actor has kicked off the ‘Barbie’ press tour in plastic fantastic style
Inga Parkel19 July 2023 17:30
Should you see Barbie or Oppenheimer first?
Now that Barbenheimer is officially upon us, have you purchased your tickets? If you haven’t and are still debating whether you should see Barbie or Oppenheimer first, here are a few things to consider.
Barbie’s runtime is 1 hour 54 minutes, and Oppenheimer is a whopping 3 hours. I’m not sure about your theatres, but I had a difficult time finding a place that offered a long enough time gap in between if I were to begin with Oppenheimer.
So, I opted for Barbie first, that way I would only have to sit around the cinema for an hour tops, before finishing with Christopher Nolan’s drama.
Although, if time is not an issue, I’ve heard a lot of people argue for why you should see Oppenheimer first – so you can end your day on a happy note with Barbie.
Inga Parkel19 July 2023 17:00