Barbie cast turn London Eye pink to celebrate film premiere
Hollywood feels more like the centre of the universe than ever this week as the arrival of the two biggest films of the year coincides with a historic actors’ strike.
Anticipation for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has reached a fever pitch ahead of their release in unison on 21 July.
While Oppenheimer’s critical ratings have blown past Barbie with a near-perfect Rotten Tomato score, it’s expected that the latter will, in fact, take over the former in ticket sales.
Barbie is estimated to earn $110m at the US box office during opening weekend, while Oppenheimer is set to take in $50m.
Axios has reported this week that movie theatres in Texas, Washington DC and Atlanta have already sold out of tickets for the Margot Robbie-led feature about the famous toy doll.
Oppenheimer’s London premiere was cut short, however, as the cast left early in preparation for the SAG-AFTRA strike order, which was initiated hours after the event.
Barbie movie merchandise: From Barbie dolls to a Zara collaboration
Outside of buying a ticket to watch the movie, there are plenty of ways for us real-life folk to be a part of the Barbie fun.
From branded shoes, t-shirts and, of course, the dolls themselves, here is a guide to the merchandise on-sale to join in the Barbie (and Ken) party.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 10:00
Comment: Oppenheimer finally puts speculation about Christopher Nolan’s politics to bed
The 52-year-old filmmaker’s work has long prompted speculation over his political views, from the supposedly pro-conservative Dark Knight to the anti-war messaging of Tenet. Does his nuclear biopic Oppenheimer hold any answers, asks The Independent’s, Louis Chilton.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 09:30
Barbie: The Album review – Billie Eilish leads a soundtrack that’s as erratic as the movie that inspired it
“Unusually, the bigger names here – including Dua Lipa and Sam Smith – are the most underwhelming,” writes The Independent’s Adam White.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 09:00
Ted Cruz keeps attacking the Barbie movie as ‘Chinese communist propaganda’ even though he hasn’t seen it
Ted Cruz once again accused the upcoming Barbie movie of pushing “Chinese communist propaganda” – even though he hasn’t seen it.
For weeks, the Texas senator has zeroed in on a scene from a trailer showing a world map of a contested area in the South China Sea.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 08:30
Inside the Barbie-inspired dream houses in the UK
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 08:00
Google delights fans with sparkly special effect for Barbie movie: ‘This is so cute’
The devil works hard, but the Barbie movie’s marketing team works harder. Now, search engine Google has got on board ahead of the live-action film’s hotly anticipated release on Friday 21 July.
This week, fans noticed that if they typed in the term “Barbie” into the search engine, they were treated to a visual feast of pink sparkles. The screen will also change into a pink hue and some of the text and icons on the search page will turn pink.
The same effect happens when users search for the terms “Margot Robbie” and “Ryan Gosling”, who both star in the film, and “Greta Gerwig”, the director of Barbie.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 07:30
Barbie: The Album review – Billie Eilish leads a soundtrack that’s as erratic as the movie that inspired it
“Unusually, the bigger names here – including Dua Lipa and Sam Smith – are the most underwhelming,” writes The Independent’s Adam White.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 07:15
Oppenheimer yet to receive theatrical release date in Japan
As the release date for Christopher Nolan’s new epic Oppenheimer approaches, rumours have begun circulating that the film is banned in Japan.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 07:00
Oppenheimer review: Clever, imaginative and Christopher Nolan at his best
“Cillian Murphy allows the light to dim from his eyes in every subsequent scene, but it is Robert Downey Jr who is titanic here,” writes The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 06:30
Margot Robbie’s stylist reveals six barely-seen outfits for Barbie press tour
Margot Robbie gave show-stopping performances on every hot pink carpet of the Barbie press tour, but a few of her planned Mattel-inspired outfits weren’t officially unveiled due to the SAG-AFTRA strikes cutting the world-wide event schedule short.
To give the missed looks the recognition they deserve, Robbie’s stylist Andrew Mukamal debuted six never seen photos in an 18 July Instagram post.
Peony Hirwani21 July 2023 06:00