Barbenheimer Bash: All the South Florida Theaters Showing Barbie and Oppenheimer

Once upon a time in Japan, two very different movies came out on the same day from the same studio. One was My Neighbor Totoro, a cutesy children’s cartoon about two little girls and their furry friend from the forest. The other was Grave of the Fireflies, a slightly-less-cutesy children’s cartoon about the trauma and deprivations of war. Incredibly, they were screened as a double feature.

Why do we bring this up? Well, silly-billy, because you’re about to do something super similar – if you play your cards right, that is.

Welcome to the wonderful world of Barbenheimer!

(Want to celebrate the Barbie premiere with a drink? Check out New Times‘ guide to pink-hued cocktails in Miami.)

What the Hell Is a Barbenheimer?

Since it’s clear you’ve been living under a damn rock, allow us to explain. Some time ago, the studios behind Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s historical epic about the Manhattan Project and the man behind the atomic bomb, and Barbie, the Greta Gerwig-directed movie adaptation of America’s most culturally significant toy, decided the day on which they would release each picture. As it happens, they picked the same day: this Friday, July 21, 2023.

For the past few months, the narrative behind the incredibly comical juxtaposition of a serious biopic with a fun, girly comedy, both from cult directors, has gone from competition to camaraderie. Thousands of memes have been born to play on the potential box-office duel between the two, fueled by the intense marketing campaigns of each film, before people began to realize that, yes, you can watch them both as a double feature – if you’re up for sitting in a darkened theater for six hours, that is.

What Are These Movies Again?

Let’s start with Oppenheimer, from Christopher Nolan, director of Inception and The Dark Knight. Following up on his time-travel spy movie Tenet (released amid the pandemic in 2020), Nolan’s new film takes on an ambitious subject: the Manhattan Project. Cillian Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the physicist leading the U.S. military’s push to develop an atomic weapon before the Nazis. With a cast stacked with major stars and character actors including Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Benny Safdie, and Josh Peck, Oppenheimer looks to be a tense, big-budget drama from one of cinema’s most celebrated directors about a moment in history that humanity can never come back from. If that’s not enough, the atomic tests, as depicted in the film, were also apparently done without any CGI.

Barbie, meanwhile, is a movie about…Barbie. The doll. But is she just a doll? No! She’s an American icon, and don’t you forget it. While cynics may sneer at the idea of an overgrown toy commercial sullying the cinema (which, let’s be honest, has already been defiled by the last decade and change of comic book movies, which are overgrown commercials for boy toys), there is reason to believe that this movie has more than a little artistic merit. For one, it’s directed by Greta Gerwig, whose previous films Lady Bird and Little Women so brilliantly captured female perspectives on celluloid. She’s already put out a teaser riffing on 2001: A Space Odyssey. The plot of the film sees Barbie (Margot Robbie), who’s contemplating her mortality and the monotony of her sheltered life in the fantasy realm of Barbie Land, set out on a quest to find herself in the Real World with her platonic male friend Ken (Ryan Gosling). Pretty deep for a toy commercial, eh? The film has a star-studded supporting cast, including Will Ferrell, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Issa Rae, and Dua Lipa.

Aside From the Memes, What’s the Big Deal?

Double-blockbuster weekends like this, once common, don’t come along much anymore. With the dominance of comic-book movies like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Hollywood makes fewer big movies than ever and prefers to space out their releases. The pandemic saw theaters close, leaving Hollywood to rely on streaming. Now we have two very big, yet very different, movies, targeting different audiences and lacking a superhero (unless you consider Barbie a superhero). That is significant.

OK, Which One Should I Watch First?

Up to you. Starting with Oppenheimer and using Barbie as a palate cleanser seems like a popular choice, but if you want Nolan’s more-serious film to really sink in – or if you think you won’t be able to sit through its three-hour runtime) – we’d recommend treating it as the A movie and watching it last. Worried you won’t last for both? No problem. As James Cameron said of his most recent Avatar film, you can always watch the movies again.

What’s This Strike I Keep Hearing About?

Glad you asked! Two major Hollywood unions, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Screen Actors’ Guild (SAG), are on strike. The unions and their membership are seeking increased residuals from entertainment companies and assurances that artificial intelligence won’t replace their labor, among other demands. WGA writers cannot write while the strike is called, and actors registered with SAG cannot act or promote their movies and shows, which is why the entire cast of Oppenheimer walked out of the film’s premiere in London as soon as the strike was called. It’s the largest labor action in decades and the first time SAG and WGA have been on strike simultaneously since 1960.

There’s no picket line between you and a movie right now. The writers and actors are artists who want people to experience their work. So see the movie(s). As the grand dame of show biz, Judy Garland, once sang, “It’s all for you.”

To help you plan your Barbenheimer Bash, here is a list of local theaters screening both Oppenheimer and Barbie this weekend. Find showtimes and formats on the individual theater websites linked below.

Starting Thursday, July 20

• CMX Brickell Dine-In. 701 S. Miami Ave., Miami; 305-639-8486; cmxcinemas.com.
• Silverspot Cinema Metsquare. 300 SE Third Ave., Miami; 305-536-5000; silverspot.net.
• Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Coconut Grove. 3015 Grand Ave., Coconut Grove; 786-628-1260; cinepolisusa.com.
• The Landmark at Merrick Park. 358 San Lorenzo Ave., Suite 3005, Coral Gables; 786-574-4116; landmarktheatres.com.
• Regal South Beach. 1120 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach; 844-762-7342; regmovies.com.
• CMX CinéBistro CityPlace Doral. 3450 NW 83 Ave. #212., Doral; 786-762-4793; cmxcinemas.com.
• AMC Hialeah 12. 780 W 49th St., Hialeah; 305-826-7245; amctheatres.com.
• AMC Sunset Place 24. 5701 Sunset Dr., South Miami; 877-262-4450; amctheatres.com.
• CMX Miami Lakes 13. 6711 Main St., Miami Lakes; 305-558-3810; cmxcinemas.com.
• AMC Tamiami 18. 11865 SW 26th St., Miami; 786-507-5916; amctheatres.com.
  
• Regal UA Falls. 9000 SW 136th St., Miami; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• Regal Kendall Village. 8595 SW 124th Ave., Miami; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• AMC Aventura 24. 19501 Biscayne Blvd., Aventura; 305-466-9880; amctheatres.com.
  
• AMC Pembroke Lakes 9. 12085 Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines; 754-210-2148; amctheatres.com.
  
• Flippers Cinema. 7001 Taft St., Hollywood; 954-981-7721; flipperscinema.com.
  
• Regal Westfork. 15977 W. Pines Blvd., Pembroke Pines; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
• Regal Southland Mall. 20505 S. Dixie Hwy., Miami; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• Regal Oakwood. 2800 Oakwood Blvd., Hollywood; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• Regal Daina Pointe. 128 Sunset Dr., Dania Beach; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• Paragon Ridge. 9200 W. State Rd. 84, Davie; 954-472-4940; paragontheaters.com.
  
• Regal Broward. 8000 W. Broward Blvd., Plantation; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• AMC Weston 8. 1338 SW 160th Ave., Sunrise; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• Paradigm Cinemas Gateway Fort Lauderdale. 1820 E Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-678-4858; paradigmcinemas.com.
  
• Regal Sawgrass. 2600 NW 136th Ave., Sunrise; 844-462-7342; regmovies.com.
  
• AMC Sunrise 8. 4321 NW 88th Ave., Sunrise; 954-828-0783; amctheatres.com.

Starting Friday, July 21

• Le Jeune Cinema 6. 782 NW 42nd Ave., Miami; 305-529-8883; oceancinemas.com.
  
• Cinemark Paradise 24. 15601 Sheridan St., Davie; 954-680-3495; cinemark.com.

Special Events and Formats

• Several theaters will host a “Barbie Blowout Party” on Wednesday with an early screening of Barbie. See Fandango for complete listings.
• Coral Gables Art Cinema will screen Oppenheimer in 70mm starting Friday, July 21.
• The Autonation IMAX Theater, attached to the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale and remains the only true 70mm IMAX theater in South Florida, is screening Oppenheimer in the format. There are plenty of available showtimes over the next few weeks, although the opening weekend is completely sold out.