I went to see the 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' double feature, and I think 'Barbenheimer' could save cinema

For months now, we've seen the fruits of "Barbie's" estimated $150 million marketing budget. From the creation of a website where fans could make custom "Barbie" posters to joining forces with Burger King Brazil to create a pink burger, the movie's branding has been everywhere. The film's release even aligned with the past year's major hot-pink style trend, dubbed Barbiecore.

Christopher Nolan, the director of "Oppenheimer," may not have been enthused by the idea of his movie coming out the same day as this cultural juggernaut, but everyone else seemed to be.

The double release also came at a critical time for movie theaters and Hollywood. This summer, movie-theater operators hoped people would finally fill seats again after the pandemic brought the industry to a standstill in 2020. A 2021 survey released by film research company Quorum found that 49% of pre-pandemic moviegoers simply weren't buying tickets anymore.

But the excitement leading up to "Barbenheimer" hinted that the tide may be turning.

First, I had to decide which order to see the movies in. I opted to see "Oppenheimer" first because of "Wonder Woman" star Lynda Carter, who wrote on Twitter that it was the logical order because "Barbie lives in the world Oppenheimer built."

Then, after securing my "Oppenheimer" ticket, I selected seats in my favorite rows (D or E). Because my ticket was for a matinee showing, I got 30% off, which allowed me to spend a little more on my movie-theater refreshments on the day.

I knew the movie ran three hours, so I picked a showtime for "Barbie" that gave me about an hour between features. I thought that would give me a good break between the two movies ... although I would end up using that time to reevaluate everything I knew about America's complicated history with atomic weaponry.

As I walked toward the theater, I couldn't spot much pink in the crowd, so I felt a little self-conscious, but that quickly vanished as I walked through the doors.

Some people were in trench coats and dark fedoras, while others wore pink ensembles. Kids ran about in Barbie-labeled tops, carrying their own Barbie dolls in one hand and candy in the other.

Even the staff — male and female — were wearing pink. One movie-theater employee told me she had used a Cricut machine to emblazon the Barbie symbol onto her bright, blush-colored top.

The theater was packed with people of all ages, but everyone's excitement was clear — and it was infectious. If I hadn't already been excited enough before, I definitely was now.

The lack of "Oppenheimer" branding in the theater didn't make the auditorium any less packed or the excitement any less palpable.

The theater filled up right at 12:30 p.m. — the ticket time — and my fellow moviegoers seemed antsy during the trailers. When Nicole Kidman came on for the final AMC commercial, people actually cheered.

And then it began. Without giving anything away, I will say it's the kind of movie that arouses curiosity from the moment Cillian Murphy, in the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, appears on-screen in the opening minutes, then digs its heels in you so you're stuck in the world the director has created.

There was a sort of awestruck quiet as we sat with the movie's haunting ending. Then, a ghostly applause. Not cheers, because how could you cheer a movie of such harrowing magnitude?

People finally filed out of the auditorium as the credits rolled.

It didn't feel like three hours. It felt like time stilled, and I had traveled back into a time period I thought I knew enough about ... only for Nolan to turn what I knew right on its head.

I was stunned it was already 3:45 p.m., and I wondered how I could gather myself together in time for "Barbie." At this point, I thought Insider's Chris Panella may have been right about seeing "Barbie" first.

Leading into the auditoriums showing "Barbie," there were plastic pink carpets. At each entrance, there were also "Barbie"-labeled pink and white balloons. 

It was almost like a collective party moviegoers were attending each time they walked through the auditorium doors. 

Perhaps most fun to interact with was this "Barbie" photo backdrop. Women posed with their girlfriends, little girls with their Barbies, dads with their daughters, and even entire families clad in pink made the most of the photo-op.

I couldn't bring myself to purchase the set, but I was sure to take a photo with it.

If anything, I regret not bringing one of my own carefully preserved Barbies from when I was a little girl. I was that inspired by the enthusiasm for the film, which was bringing back the best moments of my childhood.

I walked into Auditorium 7 thinking the film would be a lighthearted kids' movie about a doll, and sure, there was a light-hearted nature to it, but instead, I left misty-eyed, questioning my existence, having a newfound sense of self, and being eternally grateful to my mom.

Watching "Barbie" with a sold-out crowd largely of girls and women in pink who likely teared up during the montage celebrating all the complexities of womanhood as Billie Eilish crooned in the background was this beautiful moment that reminded me: This is what movies are made for.

It was such a beautiful experience to share that it just wouldn't have been the same to watch it at home on a streaming service.

I bet every person in that auditorium left feeling a little bit of hope for humanity after that movie. That, and an appreciation for what it means to be a woman. Oh! And a reminder to go see your gynecologist. 

Even as vastly contrasting movies made by different directors, there's one thing the two films have in common — don't worry, no spoilers! — it's that their endings stick the landing.

I'm apparently not alone in this high estimation. Both films vastly outperformed projections this weekend. Globally, "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" delivered impressive global debuts of $337 million and $174.2 million, respectively, according to Deadline. "Barbie" has a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, while "Oppenheimer" has an incredible 94%. 

In this post-pandemic age, it's not easy to go back to the things we used to love doing, even going to the movies. But the visit reminded me that there's something special about the experience: going into the theater with your bag of popcorn and a drink and just forgetting about the world for a couple of hours when the lights dim.

And it's these kinds of films that remind us why we go to the movies in the first place: to experience being immersed in a far-away place, whether you're stuck in World War II with Oppenheimer, or in Barbieland with Margot Robbie's Barbie.

And yes, I think "Oppenheimer" then "Barbie" is the correct order to see them because, as dramatic as it sounds, Barbie gives you the hope Oppenheimer would gladly snatch away.

Plus, sharing the exhilaration of these summer blockbusters with hundreds of strangers in the dark? For lack of a better word, it was just really, really fun.

In a surprising turn of events, the entire affair has me oddly emotional. 

The release of these two films had the potential to become "Oppenheimer" versus "Barbie." Instead, it produced "Oppenheimer" and "Barbie" — two films that entice moviegoers like me to see whichever I please, although preferably both.

It gives me that glimmer of hope that it's healed something in a world that polarizes just about everything.

In the words of Cillian Murphy: cinema wins.