About

Oppenheimer (2023 Film) refers to a biographical film directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man widely understood to have created the atomic bomb. The film follows Oppenheimer through his role in the Manhattan Project during World War II. It was set to release on July 21st, 2023, the same day as Greta Gerwig's Barbie movie which, in turn, led to a slew of Barbie vs. Oppenheimer memes (dubbed as Barbenheimer). Discussions about the movie leading up to its release date often revolved around Nolan's tendency to use real SFX and ironic Oppenposting. Oppenheimer also became prevalent in memes online around late 2022 and early 2023, such as the viral news about Nolan recreating a nuclear blast without CGI. Many memes also depicted sitting front row for Oppenheimer in 70mm IMAX.

History

On September 9th, 2021, Deadline broke the news about Christopher Nolan shopping a script about J. Robert Oppenheimer’s role in the development of the atomic bomb during WWII.^[1] The news came on the heels of Nolan's alleged dissatisfaction with the way WarnerMedia handled the simultaneous theater and home streaming rollout for their 2021 film roster. Twitter^[2] page @DiscussingFilm posted a tweet about the development, gathering over 7,000 likes in over a year (seen below).

On September 9th, 2021, Twitter^[3] user @RequiemNocturn posted a tweet using the "you did it you crazy son of a bitch" meme to joke about Nolan using a real atomic bomb for his movie, gathering over 400 likes in over a year (seen below, left). Also on September 9th, Twitter^[4] user @metaplexmovies posted an excerpt from The Nolan Variations to say that Robert Pattinson gifted Nolan a copy of Oppenheimer's speeches after finishing filming for Tenet. The tweet gathered over 400 likes in over a year (seen below, right).

Developments

Oppenheimer Casting

In December 2021, news about the cast of the film began to spread, with various commentators reacting to the large star-studded cast. On February 7th, Twitter^[5] page @bestofpugh posted a composite image of the cast, gathering over 17,000 likes in 11 months (seen below, left). On February 22nd Twitter^[6] user @FALL3NFRUIT posted a meme that said "You have been cast in Christopher Nolan’s ‘OPPENHEIMER’. (Source: Deadline)," gathering over 6,000 likes in 11 months (seen below, right).

Other internet users discussed the lack of diversity in the casting of the film and joked about how Marvel's Eternals had pinned the creation of weapons of mass destruction on a Black character. Twitter^[7] user @kambolecampbell posted a tweet about the difference on March 12th, 2021, gathering over 3,000 likes in seven months (seen below, left). Twitter^[8] user @hott0trotsky posted a tweet about Eternals on March 11th, gathering over 6,000 likes in seven months (seen below, right).

Barbie vs Oppenheimer

On April 26th, 2022, the Twitter^[9] account DiscussingFilm asked their followers whether or not they'd be seeing Barbie or Oppenheimer on July 21st, 2023, as both films were set to release on the same day. The tweet received roughly 23,300 likes in eight months (seen below, left). Also on April 26th, Twitter^[10] user @sackboyforprez posted a meme about watching the two movies back to back, gathering over 45,000 likes in eight months (seen below, right).

On July 21st, Twitter^[11] page @OppenheimerFilm posted the first view of the movie's poster, gathering over 114,000 likes in nearly six months (seen below, left). On July 21st, Twitter^[12] user @whovianrad posted a spoof poster combining the elements from the Barbie and Oppenheimer films, gathering over 80,000 likes in six months (seen below, right).

Barbenheimer

Barbenheimer, also known as Barbie Heimer, is a portmanteau of the words "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" in reference to the 2023 movies which were released on the same date (July 21st, 2023), causing a slew of Barbie vs. Oppenheimer memes that humorously combined the contrasting aesthetics and themes of both films. In turn, the word "Barbenheimer" spawned on social media and gained its own traction in memes and viral discourse, mostly in reference to the act of doing a double feature of both films. Many Barbenheimer memes and fan art used images that were both pink and black (correlating with the color palettes of both films), as well as images that involved both explosions and girly aesthetics.

Christopher Nolan Detonates Non-CGI Bomb

In the months leading up to the film, several fans discussed the logistics of Christopher Nolan making a film about the atomic bomb given his proven disdain of CGI. The earliest viral meme about Nolan using real nuclear bombs was posted by Twitter ^[13] user @callouswayne on July 12th, gathering over 200,000 likes in seven months (seen below).

Christopher Nolan when the studio allows him to detonate an actual nuclear bomb for Oppenheimer: pic.twitter.com/mlhIjITA3H

— Morgan (@callouswayne) July 12, 2022

On December 12th, 2022, Twitter^[14] user @zooklife posted a meme about Nolan filming an actual nuclear bomb, gathering over 96,000 likes in two weeks (seen below, left). Also on December 12, Twitter^[15] user @LeCinephiles posted a meme about Thanos in relation to Nolan, gathering over 67,000 likes in two weeks (seen below, right).

Oppenheimer Front Row Seats

Oppenheimer Front Row Seats, also known as Sitting Front Row for Oppenheimer or Oppenheimer Front Row in 70mm IMAX, refers to a trend in which moviegoers sat in the front row for Oppenheimer. Sitting in the front row of the IMAX theater was funny because of the likelihood of loud explosion sounds and visuals in the film. The meme became prevalent in July 2023, leading up to the movie's premiere on July 21st, 2023, after a viral post showed someone who bought a singular ticket in a theater's front row.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References