Oppenheimer avoids box office clash with Barbie? Here's the truth

Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer and Greta Grewig’s Barbie, the much anticipated movies of this year, were supposed to face off at the box office on July 21. However, Cannes director Thierry Fremaux hinted in an interview that Oppenheimer will now be released at the end of the year. In an interview with Variety, when asked why they didn’t include Nolan's directorial in their film festival line-up this year, Fremaux replied, “I would have loved (that]) but it’s being released at the end of the year as part of their awards strategy. My two regrets this year are “Oppenheimer” and “Barbie,” but it won’t be ready either by May.”

The news disappointed the fans who were excited for the box office clash of two of the biggest films this year. This also fueled the speculation of Nolan not wanting to face off with Grewig’s Barbie, which is turning out to be quite the fan favourite with its teaser and posters getting much love on social media. Oppenheimer's odds of winning an award were always good as it being touted as Nolan's another masterpiece.

However, a later release date would undoubtedly improve its prospects in the awards season as movies released in the summer rarely get enough momentum to compete in the race, which is typically held in the first few months of the following year. Elvis, on the other hand, was an exception with quite a few nominations but it was left empty-handed at the Oscars. Fans were left speculating about the real reason behind Oppenheimer delaying release. 

Cannes director clarifies his comment 

While Thierry Fremaux said in an interview with Variety that Oppenheimer was “being released at the end of the year” but he since clarified that it is still set for a July release, like earlier. So, as it turns out that Barbie vs Oppenheimer box office clash is still on and fans will get to see both movies hitting the cinema halls on the same day. It will be exciting to see which film emerges on top.

More about Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer is based on the 2005 Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer. Robert Oppenheimer was famously called the 'father of the atomic bomb' for his role in the Manhattan Project, which helped in the creation of the first nuclear weapon. 

Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy will play the titular character while Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr, Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Michael Angarano, and Kenneth Branagh appear in important roles. Backed by Universal Pictures, Oppenheimer also marks Christopher Nolan's first film to not be distributed by his longtime studio home of Warner Bros.