Pastels and Shellshock: how Barbenheimer brought back shared pop culture experiences

There’s been no shortage of Barbenheimer coverage this summer. Based on the organic hype and viral marketing efforts, nearly everyone saw at least one of the two films. We all should know the story by now. Barbie was the social event of the summer and became the most commercially successful movie directed by a woman ever (shoutout Greta Gerwig). Oppenheimer managed to become a hit despite being a 3-hour R-rated biopic. The lead-up to both films set the internet aflame with memes and other content. It became something much bigger than just two movies, it was an experience. There were some inklings early in the year that this pairing of movies would be different but nobody expected it to become the phenomenon it did. Conversations in movie circles revolved around it being the first real collective movie moment since 2019 when Marvel was at its peak with Endgame. To me though, it goes further than that. This felt like the type of moment that only existed before social media, where people bonded over shared pop culture experiences in real life and not through their phones. 

Somehow, Barbenheimer was able to pop the media bubbles that we’ve all created. Certain shows and movies have come close, but none of them have had staying power. Social media darlings Succession and White Lotus have had their moments, but if you look at the numbers they’re still pretty small in terms of total audience. Game of Thrones had the audience but it was the last of a dying breed of shows. Marvel also had its moment but look at where it’s at now. There’s just too much out there for anything to gain any traction. There’s at least one new show or movie on streaming every week, not to mention the thousands of other options that are already available across the ever-growing number of streaming services. People still bond over their shared interests whether it’s the HBO prestige shows, A24 films, or whatever superhero film is out, but none can really branch outside of their specific audiences to connect people. Whether it’s movies and TV shows, or other media like books, podcasts, and music, it’s just impossible to catch everything. In turn, we each just create our own little bubble of what we like and can manage to keep up with. That’s why it’s so hard for us to break out of our bubble or for something new to break into it. If something does miraculously make it into all of our lives, it disappears as quickly as it started trending. In the 90’s, 00’s, and early 10’s it took longer for things to catch on. Once they did though, they would stay with us. We all patiently waited for shows like Breaking Bad to drop and watched them at the same time. There were ongoing conversations about this shared thing that we were all into. Now, we can find “content “ anytime, anywhere. Which is great for discovering new things but hard for connecting with others. Just like it’s impossible to keep up with everything, it’s impossible to keep up with the conversation. Platforms like Twitter (or X, *deep sigh*), TikTok, and IG are all about speed. Only the most recent and viral content maximizes engagement, so the conversation always has to be about something new. No matter how good something is, it will be swept aside as soon as something that draws more engagement drops. That hype cycle stops any meaningful conversation and connection in its tracks. 

That’s what has made Barbenheimer so special. Those conversations we used to have are back. You’ve probably been asked whether you’ve seen one or both movies more times than you can remember this summer. Marketing of course had a huge role to play in this. Oppenheimer was billed as Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus and a literal shellshocking event. The explosion and performances were must-see events. While Barbie became this amazing meme that spread to all corners of the internet. No matter who you were, there was Barbie content related to your interests. The combination of the two also created its own virality where people played the two off each other. Barbenheimer was everywhere. This isn’t that dissimilar to other blockbusters, where absurd amounts are spent to make it seem like you can’t miss them. The difference is though, you weren’t exactly spending your free time examining those movies or having deep conversations about them. All you can really say about a movie like Fast & Furious is something like “That car chase was fucking ridiculous”. Whereas with Barbie and Oppenheimer, conversations out in the world seemed to always go back to them. It wasn’t just the “have you seen it” conversation either, they were real conversations around the themes of the movie and how it made people feel. 

That emotional depth is key here. Both of these movies bring something out of people in a way that just doesn’t happen with many blockbusters. Oppenheimer makes you think about the decisions that shape the world and the type of person it takes to create something like a nuclear bomb. It’s a haunting experience that leaves you seriously questioning the fragility and stability of not only our current geopolitical state but also all of the people involved in it. Barbie on the other hand looks at our social systems and our place in them. It’s about finding yourself and your place in the world. While both are incredible character studies, Barbie seems to have moved people in a more personal way. Oppenheimer is breathtaking but it’s about a very specific man with specific challenges. Barbie on the other hand hits home in so many ways. It somehow manages to be a fantastic critique of gender roles while also dealing with mental health and the struggles of just being alive in the world. We all know what’s it like to just want to sit on the ground and do nothing in the face of everything going on in our lives. Greta Gerwig really taps into the human experience by exploring and navigating this existential crisis. 

Even though Barbie is just IP (Intellectual Property) and Oppenheimer is a name everyone learns in high school, these movies have done what few others have. They not only made money but they created a conversation. More than that they connected people. People dressed up for Barbie and planned whole weekends around it.  Oppenheimer didn’t have as much fanfare but there was the Barbenheimer double feature and the post-viewing cigarette. It wasn’t just content, it was an experience. The lesson here isn’t just to spend millions of dollars on marketing. If the movies weren’t any good then the conversation would have stalled after opening weekend. It’s about creating things that are real and aren’t meant to be merely consumed. It takes a lot to get people to sit for 3 hours and watch dudes talk in rooms, but I was into it for almost the whole run of Oppenheimer. Barbie too, it wasn’t just a pastel-covered blockbuster meant to boost Mattel stock. It was a movie that spoke to an audience that doesn’t usually have movies made for them, while also touching on some extremely heavy themes that we can all identify with. Both movies were able to trojan horse real substance and art into a medium that at this point has become bloated with films that are just two-hour commercials for IP. We need more movies like this, but we also need more experiences like this. 

The whole Barbenheimer phenomenon shows how hungry people are to connect and bond with one another. We want reasons to do things out of the ordinary like dress up or plan things like a double feature. We want to have deep conversations about shared experiences that move us in unexpected ways. We want to feel human again. People are getting tired of just sharing TikToks and then forgetting about them five minutes later. Sure the algorithms seeded a bit of the Barbenheimer concept, but it was people who made it grow. It became this true global organic movement that we all tuned into, not just because we felt like we had to but because we wanted to. Word of mouth and genuine connection made it the phenomenon that it was. I know it’s easier said than done, but if we can replicate that our lives will be so much richer. People won’t just consume content, they’ll actually experience something that connects them with others. That’s what we’re all craving and Barbenheimer delivered it.