‘Barbenheimer’ isn’t a meme, it’s the last stand of a dying medium

Barbie and Oppenheimer releasing on the same day has birthed the cultural movement "Barbenheimer."

[{"selector":"#anim-af116a08-42a3-4362-b723-7c57b688edfa","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-112.60869%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6cbf90c2-5a5a-46c0-80fd-44dc34dd9035","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(-180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6db40ee2-95d7-4c4f-af07-1a0e6bc29e97","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(111.30435%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-db0ef56c-104f-45e7-baea-293176c8b4cd","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c517cb96-78b3-44ba-a64e-8f5436f9755f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4975824b-9a5c-4d14-872e-6d1df2176865","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 126.52962%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

As a result, many movie lovers are watching both of the very different films in one day in a double feature.

[{"selector":"#anim-e562f8e0-6ed0-41df-bdbf-ae3f0044ab94","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-5c64c83b-4588-4490-bc42-e10db31581ab","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 126.52962%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-830d5694-ed6b-4da1-9a12-8c506da2c7d0","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-112.60869%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cffb8dbd-243d-4b29-9752-f816311652f1","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(-180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-423bcfa4-d229-49e3-86c4-9a8789451430","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(111.30435%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7853f4d2-35bb-4146-a97e-9570569e902f","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}]

Before you write this off as just a meme, consider if it's something more

[{"selector":"#anim-a12c1501-f8b0-4028-9efe-20198fa78cfb","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-112.60869%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-77a7bd4c-868e-486c-9971-ffd0a79331d0","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(-180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fa21c8d8-9bb0-415a-8d56-01198dae3e07","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(106.52175%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .8, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-aa6c1f70-3dfc-4d0f-a370-8dde8dac4c3d","keyframes":{"transform":["rotateZ(180deg)","rotateZ(0deg)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.2, 0, .5, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cfbef312-3b15-4a96-af90-dbb29d15dd5f","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b4f2516d-9774-4781-a2d1-a1be88319c56","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 137.01387%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]

After the rise of streaming and COVID-19, maybe Barbenheimer is a way for audiences to signal they're not done with cinema as an exhibition format.

[{"selector":"#anim-0c3eea1b-d20e-491c-b334-781e49079593","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(-114.65969%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-16baaec3-472d-4124-93fe-89cdb192981c","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e83667a2-09a6-43d2-b3eb-ee103c77b85c","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-fbe10cba-b3e4-4320-969e-fbff6cebeb3c","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(111.35136%, 0px, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1e4734c7-e195-4392-bfac-97425e249b88","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-147a64f5-07f5-4b86-b50f-3c15d4c5c81b","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(0.15)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3c3979b5-2b1b-41fc-b11e-bde79ef6c0a4","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6a529ba4-afc7-4a1e-b1cc-8662b91dadde","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 128.69152%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}]