Movie theaters were decimated by the pandemic, but now, blockbuster memes are bringing people back.
Both Greta Gerwig's "Barbie" and Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" open this weekend. The two films weren't intended to be a double-feature — but an instance of counter programming turned "Barbenheimer" into the biggest film event of the summer.
That seems to be translating into actual ticket sales: AMC Entertainment told the New York Times on Monday that over 40,000 people had purchased "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" tickets as a double feature.
"Barbenheimer" is just the latest instance of turning the physical act of going to the movies into a meme. In 2022, people were dressing up in their best suits to go see "Minions: The Rise of Gru," spurred on by a TikTok trend aptly titled "Gentleminions." And there are other viral videos of people making a joke out of showing up see films like 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie" in full costume, only for theater attendants to ask what movie they're seeing.
@temporaryname20 Definitely not creed 😫 #supermariobros ♬ original sound - Vw
The pandemic put theaters in dire straits, and a Gallup poll revealed that Americans watched an historically low average of 1.4 movies in theaters in 2021And while blockbuster, star-driven films like "Top Gun: Maverick" can bring audiences back into theaters (and get Steven Spielberg to tell Tom Cruise that he "saved Hollywood's ass" in the process), grassroots memes about hitting up theaters can certainly help as well.
"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are predicted to have $100 and $50 million open millions, respectively, according to the New York Times. And Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice Pro, told the Los Angeles Times that the "Gentleminions" trend was an example of the positive impact that media trends can have on a film ("The Rise of Gru" was the 5th highest-grossing film of 2022 worldwide).
Amid many smaller trends, there's a larger meta one. The simple act of going to the movies in silly and over-exaggerated ways has become a bit — and it's one that can continue to get butts in seats.
