The competitive clash between Oppenheimer and Barbie appears to have been taken up a notch—at least that is what the audiences seem to be thinking. Ever since it was known to the world that the two giant cinematic ventures of this year would go head-to-head at the box office, with both films scheduled for a release on the 21st of July, there has been what can be deemed a cultural upsurge in memes and humorous statements; observed all across the internet.
This meme culture has left no stone unturned, as people continue to make jokes with every escalation that happens in the promotional stage of both films. While the marketing for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has gone all-out, investing in alluring, pink-themed merchandising marvels and other large-scale projects for people to gawk at, the Nolan-spearheaded endeavor has taken a more solemn approach—which makes sense when we take into consideration the drastic tonal differences between the two movies.
Regardless, the Oppenheimer vs Barbie gags continue, but this time, centered around an event that was somewhat more serious.
Warner Bros. Studio Lot Suffered A Fire Breakout
On Friday, a fire broke out in the Warner Bros. studio lot in Burbank, California. As per reports, a transformer exploded, which resulted in an electrical fire. While dark clouds of smoke were observed by on-lookers, the fire department was successfully able to handle the fire that caused it. No injuries have been reported. The same applies to infrastructural damages. An ongoing investigation is being carried out by the concerned authorities.
When the pictures of the fire were posted on Twitter, users were quick to bring out their comical statements. In mirthful tweets, some folks, perhaps referencing the severing of ties that occurred between Warner Bros. and the acclaimed director, asked, “Has anyone seen Christopher Nolan?”
Others mostly seemed to treat the incident as Oppenheimer‘s way of one-upping Barbie’s promotional strategies; rivaling the likes of the enigmatic appearance of a pink-themed Barbie dream house in Malibu.
Netizens Dubbed The Incident ‘Oppenheimer Promo’
Many internet film connoisseurs wondered how Oppenheimer would plan to combat the marketing strategies utilized by Greta Gerwig‘s ambitious project. However, a cinematic initiative that tackles serious, real-life themes will seldom use whacky, big-scale promotional tactics. It makes sense for the Cillian Murphy-led film to maintain its somber tone pre-release.
The fire that broke out in the Warner Bros. lot has, however, given people the opportunity to make fun of the Barbie vs Oppenheimer rivalry. As a nod to the latter’s lack of promotional activities, netizens are now comedically terming the fire incident to be the start of the film’s much-awaited marketing period.
Some users, however, seem to be referencing Nolan’s soured relationship with Warner Bros. as the humorous reasoning behind the fire’s emergence. As some of you may know, back in 2021, esteemed director Christopher Nolan severed all ties with the studio after having worked with them for 19 years.
This was the subsequent result of a lack of communication between Warner Bros. and the talents, artists, and crew working under them, following WarnerMedia’s then-CEO Jason Kilar’s decision to forward the company’s 2021 film slate directly to HBO Max for their streaming plans.
This incident was what led Nolan to take his 2023 Cillian Murphy-led endeavor to Universal instead. Therefore, there are several layers to the Barbie vs Oppenheimer rivalry than what meets the eye. It’d be interesting how such dynamics play out at the box office.
For now, the memes on Twitter have managed to gain traction amongst the masses and generate amusement, irrespective of the context within which they are being made.
Check it out:
christopher nolan taking out the competition https://t.co/9R9JiW4vju
— blashdril (@blashdril) July 1, 2023
Has anyone seen Christopher Nolan? pic.twitter.com/0OD056pCCn
— Stephen Ford (@StephenSeanFord) June 30, 2023
Christopher Nolan and Cillian Murphy saw these photos and decided to cause some chaos didn’t they? https://t.co/7hhGL5BT9u pic.twitter.com/o2kgYqw3fS
— BSL (@bigscreenleaks) June 30, 2023
the Oppenheimer promo began https://t.co/6uHMKheqUr
— POP CULTURE (@notgwendalupe) June 30, 2023
Oppenheimer marketing is crazy
— DriftyFilm (@driftyfilm) June 30, 2023
As you can see from the plethora of responses to the incident, the internet has taken a liking to the ongoing gag. If the pre-release shenanigans look like this, nobody knows what the post-release scenario will entail. Only time will tell what other amusing incidents are set to come out of the biggest cinematic rivalry of this year.
Both Oppenheimer and Barbie are set to hit the theatres on 21 July.
Source: Twitter
