Credit: Inside the MagicThe countdown has officially begun for the Barbie (2023) vs. Oppenheimer (2023) showdown, with Tom Cruise’s Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) being the action-packed underdog as all three blockbusters battle it out for champion of the summer box office.
We’re mere weeks away from the movie event of the summer, with director Greta Gerwig’s pink-slathered Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s World War II epic Oppenheimer both premiering on July 21, 2023. Moviegoers have affectionally dubbed the double feature “Barbenheimer,” with memes galore circulating the internet since the films’ coinciding releases were announced last year.
With not one, but two summer blockbusters arriving that weekend, Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise was reportedly frustrated about Oppenheimer and Barbie taking up theaters’ IMAX, Prime, 3D, and Dolby screens, therefore pushing the seventh Mission: Impossible installment, which arrives a week earlier, to standard 2D screens.
Cruise has long been an advocate of the theatrical experience, pushing for his action-packed films to debut on premium screens. But with such high audience demand for Barbie and Oppenheimer, on top of the latter having filmed for the first time in IMAX 70mm film, his IMAX dreams for Mission: Impossible remained were pushed aside in favor of Nolan’s Oppenheimer, with tickets for the war epic going on sale as early as June 1—weeks ahead of most pre-sales.
However, it seems like Cruise buried the hatchet with his fellow filmmakers, taking to social media last week to set the record straight—he’s all in for Barbenheimer. In a tweet, the Top Gun star expressed his desire to see the movies back-to-back while also giving a nod to Harrison Ford’s fifth and final Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023).
Cruise posted a photo of him and Mission: Impossible Christopher McQuarrie holding ticket stubs for each movie, writing, “I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie.”
This summer is full of amazing movies to see in theaters.
Congratulations, Harrison Ford, on 40 years of Indy and one of the most iconic characters in history.
I love a double feature, and it doesn't get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie. pic.twitter.com/udWHHj4fAe
— Tom Cruise (@TomCruise) June 28, 2023
Now that Cruise has seemingly decided to take the high road, he’s celebrating Barbenheimer’s release by addressing a common question on most moviegoers’ minds: should they watch Oppenheimer first or Barbie?
Cruise shared his viewing order in a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, where he celebrated his 61st birthday by attending the Australian premiere of Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. The legendary actor revealed that he plans to see both films during their opening weekend, saying he’ll see Oppenheimer on Friday, “and then Barbie on Saturday:”
I want to see both ‘Barbie’ and Oppenheimer. I’ll see them opening weekend. Friday, I’ll see Oppenheimer first and then Barbie on Saturday.
Well, there you have it. Cruise’s picks align with the general consensus that the hard-hitting Cillian Murphy-led Oppenheimer should be seen first, with Margot Robbie’s Barbie acting as a sort of pallet cleanser.
As for Mission: Impossible, box office projections certainly look strong, though it still lags behind the internet’s eagerly-awaited Barbenheimer double feature. However, Cruise has been incredibly supportive of both movies amid reports of his frustration about losing IMAX screens, meaning there’s no real competition between the summer releases.
Still, it’ll be interesting to see which movie reigns supreme when Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One arrive in theaters this July.
Do you agree with Tom Cruise’s Barbenheimer viewing order? Share your thoughts in the comments below.