Matt Damon Has a Simple Solution for Barbie vs Oppenheimer Debate
It looks like the actor is not worried about the upcoming box office battle.
This summer is going to be a busy one for Hollywood, and it has nothing to do with the ongoing WGA strike that could delay dozens of long-awaited films from hitting the big screen in 2024. No, we're talking about the sheer variety of creative, big-budget movies finally being released in theaters this summer, with two of the most hotly anticipated ones coming out on the same day.
Surprisingly, Greta Gerwig's Barbie and Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer are both set to open on July 21.
Considering that both of these blockbuster movies are auteur-driven and practically filled with insanely popular actors, fans were surprised to learn that Hollywood studios decided to pit them against each other by premiering them on the same day. On paper, it might seem that Barbie and Oppenheimer are miles apart in terms of general audience, but in reality, people who want to see Cillian Murphy play the creator of the atomic bomb are just as likely to want to see Ryan Gosling as Ken.
But even though analysts are predicting a huge box-office battle for the two movies, Oppenheimer's star Matt Damon seems unconcerned, arguing that both films have a place in viewers' leisure schedules.
'This is the first I'm hearing about it, actually. I haven't paid any attention to that. People are allowed to go see two movies in a weekend. Oppenheimer is one of them!' Damon said.
So it looks like the actor is pretty sure that fans will want to spend a little more time in theaters this weekend, as both films deserve to be seen on the big screen. In reality, however, most regular moviegoers are unlikely to watch more than one movie in a week, which means that the battle between Nolan and Gerwig will take place after all.
And given that Oppenheimer is reportedly nearly three hours long, it looks like some of the fans will opt for Gerwig's lighthearted entertainment instead of Nolan's grueling drama. After all, watching a movie with your kids is definitely a big draw for many moviegoers out there.
Source: Vanity Fair.