ROANOKE, Va. – The Grandin Theatre is gearing up for the most anticipated box-office weekend of the year the internet has dubbed “Barbenheimer.”
The term coins together “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” two of 2023′s most anticipated films.
It’s sometimes rare to have two movies with as much hype release on the same weekend. Executive Director of the Grandin Theatre Foundation, Ian Fortier, said he’s seen a couple over the years.
“We’ve had a few weekends in my tenure where we’ve had multiple films opening at the same time. The interesting part about this weekend is how truly different the two films are that are opening,” Fortier said.
One film tells the story of the father of the atomic bomb. The other revolved around one of the world’s most iconic dolls in history.
“Team Barbie yep! Yep,” Al Maxey said.
Families seeing the Barbie movie said it brings back generations of memories. Just ask Maxey’s daughter, Ashlyn.
“I’ve been watching Barbie since I was born basically because all my sisters has Barbie movies. We have like 100 DVDs,” Maxey said.
Projections are already showing “Barbenheimer” could be one of the biggest theatrical weekends since the pandemic upended the industry and a big win for Hollywood while writers and actors are on strike.
“In a lot of ways, Hollywood sort of looked at 2023 as sort of a rebound year. There’s a lot of content right now,” Fortier said. “I mean when you see this many people come through the doors … it’s just a great time.”
You can see either of the movies in Roanoke at either the Grandin Theatre, AMC CLASSIC Roanoke 10, or Regal Valley View Grande.