Cinema’s newest ‘Oppenheimer’ vs. ‘Barbie’ war is upon us, and Jason Momoa is to blame

The cinematic cage match of the year is set to make its bow later this summer; in one corner, weighing in at $100 million with the likes of Cillian Murphy and IMAX black-and-white analog photography in its arsenal, is Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer biopic. In the other corner, also weighing in at $100 million and packing such heat as Noah Baumbach as a co-writer and John Cena as a merman, is Greta Gerwig’s Barbie.

Before we know it, however, this clash of the titans will be over and done with, especially with Barbie sitting as the heavy favorite given the recently-revealed R rating on Oppenheimer. But sports fans needn’t worry, because there’s another historic box office bout in the works, and this time, it’s personal.

With Vin Diesel having dropped the news that Fast X: Part 2 will be wheeling into cinemas on April 4, 2025, it’s all but confirmed that Dom and company will be fighting for box office supremacy against the live-action Minecraft movie, and as if this clash wasn’t heated enough, their shared boasting of one Jason Momoa makes this conflict all the more nuanced. Indeed, will folks be turning up for Dante Reyes, or will they be showing their support for Steve?

There’s plenty of other intriguing factors at play as well. The Fast franchise’s diminishing returns at the box office don’t spell good news for Fast X: Part 2, and especially considering how much money The Super Mario Bros. Movie made, it would be no surprise to see a film like Minecraft, arguably the most lucrative gaming IP after Mario, follow in its footsteps; at least, that’s what we would say if the Minecraft film wasn’t confirmed to be in live action, which may be a bit too bold of a move to draw in the audiences it may have otherwise.

Barbie and Oppenheimer will release to theaters on July 21, while Fast X: Part 2 and Minecraft will release on April 4, 2025. Choose your fighter wisely, folks.