The new movies Barbie and Oppenheimer both became so popular, given their release dates on the same day, that fans turned it into an event called “Barbenheimer.” For one woman named Barbie Oppenheimer, however, it’s made her life a little complicated given the coincidence with her real-life name.
In fact, her husband’s father is third cousins to J. Robert Oppenheimer. Now while speaking with Slate, she explains how she discovered the “Barbenheimer” name. It began when her friends began texting her at the time both films were released:
“I had college friends around the world texting me that weekend when [the movies] came out, with the whole schmear, you know… ‘the bomb and the bombshell’,” she told the publication.
“It’s pretty funny! It was a brilliant thing that they launched them together. It really brought people back into movie theaters.”
She also had great things to say about both of the films. While she appreciated Oppenheimer for “how they treated his [J. Robert] story,” she also enjoyed Barbie albeit “in different ways.” She adds that she couldn’t “choose” is a favorite and that she’s “glad I saw both.”
At this point, however, she adds that she has had trouble checking into hotels given that her name is Barbie Oppenheimer:
“I’m on vacation right now, and when I checked in at the hotel, I said, ‘Barbie Oppenheimer!’ The guy said, ‘Are you pulling my leg?’”
Fortunately, she’s been embracing her name and connection to the films. In fact, she adds that she’s going to see both films again with her “Barbenheimer” shirt:
“I’m going next week with a group of women and we’ll all wear pink. I’ll wear my Barbenheimer T-shirt,” she added.
Stay tuned to ScreenGeek for any additional updates on the Barbenheimer event as we have them. It certainly isn’t ending any time soon – as even horror and sci-fi production company Full Moon is working on their own film titled Barbenheimer.