London: Scientists in a US desert or dolls in pink dreamhouses? That is the dilemma movie-goers across the globe are facing with both 'Oppenheimer' and 'Barbie' running in theatres. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak joined the frenzy and watched one of the blockbuster.
Rishi Sunak, his wife Akshata Murty and their daughters Krishna and Anoushka went to the cinema to watch the Margot Robbie-starrer 'Barbie'.
"The family vote was only ever going one way… Barbie first it is," Sunak tweeted along with a picture of them at the theatre.
'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer', which released globally on Friday, have inspired a frenzy for the diametrically opposed films. The faceoff between the Hollywood summer blockbusters has been dubbed by the media as "Barbenheimer".
Just days into the release, both the movies have already set the box office ringing and also acquired fan bases. A lot of the moviegoers have also been frantically transitioning into different costumes while trying to watch both movies on the same day.
Oppenheimer, a biopic of the scientist behind the world's first atomic bomb, features Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr, Florence Pugh and Rami Malek. In his review for NDTV, film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and he wrote, "Oppenheimer, a cinematic achievement of blinding brilliance, achieves a sublime combination of visual grandeur, technical flair, emotional intimacy and an examination of the limits of human endeavour and ambition."
Barbie, which stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Dua Lipa, Simu Liu, Ariana Greenblatt, Michael Cera and Emma Mackey, has been directed by Greta Gerwig. Film critic Saibal Chatterjee gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 in his review for NDTV and he wrote, "Margot Robbie's magnetic allure is accentuated by Ryan Gosling's flat-out and gleeful interpretation of Ken, whose existence isn't complete without being in Barbie's gaze. In the film, it is Gosling who, in significant impactful ways, completes Margot Robbie's performance."