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Oppenheimer VOD Release Window Confirmed By Producer (& It’s 2 Months Later Than Barbie’s)

September 20, 2023
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 Oppenheimer’s VOD release window is confirmed by the blockbuster's producer Emma Thomas, and it’s two months later than summer rival Barbie’s.


Cillian Murphy delivering a speech in Oppenheimer


SUMMARY

  •  Oppenheimer's VOD release is delayed by two months compared to Barbie, as confirmed by producer Emma Thomas. Get ready for a November release!
  •  Fans of Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer will have to exercise patience as the at-home viewing option won't be available until November.
  •  While Barbie is already available for streaming, Oppenheimer's VOD release is set for November, according to producer Emma Thomas.




Oppenheimer’s VOD release window is confirmed by the film’s producer, and it’s two months later than Barbie’s. The two films couldn’t be more different in terms of aesthetic, subject-matter and tone, but Christopher Nolan’s brooding period biopic nonetheless became forever linked with Greta Gerwig’s sunny satirical comedy thanks to their shared 2023 summer release date. Though Gerwig’s film ultimately came out the winner at the box office, Nolan’s film was a massive hit in its own right, taking advantage of moviegoers staging Barbenheimer double-features, while also making hay through IMAX screenings.


Barbenheimer indeed became a theater-saving sensation this summer, but those hoping to stage their own double-feature at home will have to wait a few months more, as Oppenheimer producer Emma Thomas confirms that the film’s VOD release window won’t open until late November (via AP). Barbie is already available at home, but with IMAX theaters still rolling the Nolan film, and box office money still coming in, the epic biopic on the father of the atomic bomb will extend its theatrical run for two more months. This plan may just help pull off the seeming miracle of nudging the 3-hour R-rated film over the $1 billion mark worldwide (it currently sits at $912 million).


2023’s Barbenheimer Experience Can Never Be Repeated

When Oppenheimer and Barbie were revealed to be sharing a release date, the films were immediately painted as rivals, and a box office showdown was hyped between the two. But rather than take away from each other at the box office, the “rival” movies improbably fed into each other’s success, as audiences got on-board with staging epic double-feature screenings.


The semi-organic Barbenheimer hype machine indeed resulted in such huge box office riches that film studios had to take notice. It’s therefore almost certain that the future will see more seemingly mismatched films picking the same release date, in hopes of deliberately recreating what Oppenheimer and Barbie pulled off by happenstance. But such efforts are doomed to failure. This summer’s unlikely Barbenheimer phenomenon was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment, and will never be recreated – though that won't stop studios desperate for any kind of marketing angle from trying anyway.