Barbie vs Oppenheimer: The funniest Barbenheimer memes and reactions

If you’ve been living under a rock lately, you might have missed the intense online buzz surrounding the epic cinematic clash between Greta Gerwig’s highly anticipated Barbie movie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer – both scheduled to hit theatres on 21 July. 

Picture this: On one hand, we have a film centred around a children’s doll frolicking in her whimsical pink universe, while on the other, a haunting historical tale about the invention of the atomic bomb and “the destroyer of worlds”. 

You’d struggle to pick two more dissimilar films, hence creating the perfect canvas for internet’s wittiest minds to unleash their full meme-creating potential. 

It’s an unlikely but inseparable match made in heaven. 

So as we eagerly await the fateful day of 21 July, here’s a collection of our most cherished memes and funny tweets from this spellbinding saga. 

Poster mashups

An ingenious approach taken by many to compare the two films is through the creation of collaborative movie parody posters. 

Some of the results have been nothing short of brilliant. 

Some people have made unofficial Barbenheimer trailers. 

And some people have even made Barbenheimer t-shirts. 

Barbenheimer itinerary

Have you sorted your game plan for Barbenheimer Day yet? 

Well the internet has been busy concocting the ultimate blueprint for a flawless (in some cases unhinged) day of back-to-back viewing. 

But the burning question remains: Which film should take the lead, Barbie or Oppenheimer?

Marketing mismatch

One thing the internet has been quick to pick up on is the differing styles in marketing between the two films.

Let’s start with Barbie, where the marketing engine has gone into overdrive. They’ve embraced a full-throttle approach, forging partnerships here, there and everywhere, and delving headfirst into experiential marketing. For example, they’ve advertised a real-life Barbie DreamHouse hosted by Ken on Airbnb! 

On the flip side, we have Oppenheimer, taking a decidedly more laid-back approach to their marketing. A few teaser trailers here and there, maybe stick Cillian Murphy in a couple of interviews, and voila! They’re good to go. 

This juxtaposition has become a fertile breeding ground for an abundance of memes. 

A few more of our favourites

These next memes in our list are hard to categorise. So just enjoy them. 

And for those celebrating, we wish you a very merry Barbenheimer Day! 

Barbie and Oppenheimer are both released in theatres worldwide on Friday 21 July. Stay tuned to Euronews Culture for our review of both films – ETA: Friday.