Barbenheimer Can’t Be Replicated (But Hollywood Will Try)

Hollywood studios are already trying to replicate the Barbenheimer phenomenon, but it’ll be impossible to copy Barbenheimer because it wasn’t actually conceived as a marketing strategy. Although it started off as a meme, Barbenheimer overshadowed Hollywood’s biggest franchises and became the defining movie event of the year. In the weeks leading up to Barbie and Oppenheimer’s simultaneous release, proverbial water coolers were abuzz with discussions of the two films. It felt like movies were a major part of the cultural conversation for the first time in years.