Movie-goers in India got an unparalleled Barb-enheimer experience this past weekend, when an Indian cinema accidentally played Barbie subtitled during an Oppenheimer screening.
Over the weekend (July 22), Twitter user @sapunintended shared that a “friend of my cousin posted on [Instagram] that a cinema played Oppenheimer with Barbie subtitles”. The tweet included a photo of the incident, with subtitles reading “Barbie!” and “We’re so happy to see you” against a shot of Cillian Murphy in Oppenheimer.
friend of my cousin posted on insta that a cinema played oppenheimer with barbie subtitles 💀 pic.twitter.com/aznyGeUsz2
— sapun (@sapunintended) July 21, 2023
One Twitter user replied: “This means that the same theatre, in another show played Oppenheimer subtitles in a Barbie show”. The user also shared a self-made shot of Margot Robbie‘s Barbie with a subtitle that reads “I am become death… destroyer of worlds”.
That subtitle refers to a line from the Indian scripture Bhagavad Gita, which Robert J Oppenheimer referenced throughout his career working on the atomic bomb.
This means that the same theatre, in another show played Oppenheimer subtitles in a Barbie show.#Barbenheimer pic.twitter.com/SKsPGBsD06
— X Æ A-12 Cov-19 (@k0ol1) July 22, 2023
Another joked: “*the scene where bomb is about to go off* The subtitles; *come on barbie let’s go party*”
*the scene where bomb is about to go off*
The subtitles; *come on barbie let’s go party*— Becauseshewroteso (@LaibaSohail_18) July 21, 2023
Oppenheimer and Barbie both premiered in cinemas on July 21. Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan, scored a glowing five-star review from NME‘s Paul Bradshaw, who wrote: “Not just the definitive account of the man behind the atom bomb, Oppenheimer is a monumental achievement in grown-up filmmaking. For years, Nolan has been perfecting the art of the serious blockbuster – crafting smart, finely-tuned multiplex epics that demand attention; that can’t be watched anywhere other than in a cinema, uninterrupted, without distractions. But this, somehow, feels bigger.”
Meanwhile, the Greta Gerwig-helmed Barbie earned a four-star review, with NME‘s Alex Flood writing: “The script contains unexpected subtlety, particularly during the tender moments which pack an emotional punch. Gerwig is clever enough to deliver these with self-awareness and some sarcastic jokes, meaning the balance between reality and commercial is never lost. For a movie that ostensibly exists to promote a doll, this is laudable. Now come on Barbie, let’s go party.”