There have been a lot of great films released this year, and there are many others expected in the next few months that have audiences buzzing. However, when it comes to the most anticipated films of 2023, the ones topping the ranking are unquestionably Barbie and Oppenheimer, two dramatically different productions headed by two of cinema's most renowned filmmakers, Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan, respectively.
Each film in itself has managed to arouse the interest of the audience: people can't wait to see the first live-action film in the history of the Mattel doll, nor to spend three hours on the edge of their seats following the story of the theoretical physicist who changed the history of nuclear weapons. However, there is something that made both films even hotter — and that is that they both premiered on July 21.
The joint release of these productions stirred the entire world, with the internet brimming with moviegoers discussing the Barbenheimer phenomenon and debating which of the two films would be better reviewed.
However, just as there have been people trying to pit both productions against one another, the directors and actors of both films have supported each other, publicly stating their interest in watching the production they are not a part of.
As if that wasn't enough, the double premiere prompted movie theaters around the world to organize special screenings so that audiences can enjoy both films on the same day, the perfect plan for all movie fanatics. Naturally, this is not the first time in which two major films have shared a release date; this has happened over and over again with much-anticipated film pairs over the years. Here are 10 of these cases.
10 Elf & Love Actually — November 7, 2003
November 7, 2003 marked the release of two films that became huge audience favorites, especially for the holiday season. Elf is a comedy film that currently ranks among the most popular ones in Will Ferrell's career, and also one of the first movies headed by Jon Favreau, who would later become a household name thanks to his contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
On the other hand, Love Actually is a romantic comedy by Richard Curtis featuring some of the most important figures in the industry, such as Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, and Hugh Grant. Both productions were highly acclaimed and became box-office hits with very similar grosses: Favreau's film made $220 million worldwide, and was only surpassed by Curtis' film by $25 million.
9 Toy Story & Casino — November 22, 1995
Something very similar to what is happening with Barbie and Oppenheimer occurred with Toy Story and Casino: they are two completely different productions aimed at different audiences, and yet both managed to leave their mark on the history of cinema from the very moment of their release, on November 22, 1995.
Casino emerged as a solid crime film in the career of its director, Martin Scorsese, and treated the audience to great performances by Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci and Don Rickles, among other actors in the cast. However, despite its enormous acclaim, Toy Story was a watershed in the industry as the first fully computer-animated film, and this innovative feature translated into box-office earnings. While Casino grossed a total of $116 million worldwide, Toy Story prevailed with a total gross of $350 million that boosted the development of one of the most successful animated franchises in history.
8 Jumanji & Heat — December 15, 1995
December 15, 1995 marked the release of Jumanji and Heat, two productions that succeeded in becoming cinema classics for very different reasons. Once again, these two productions are aimed at completely different audiences: Joe Johnston's fantasy film is aimed at families with the story of the most dangerous board game in the world, while Michael Mann's crime film, just like Casino, focuses on displaying its stars' talents to the fullest.
This film pair proved to be very successful at the box office, but did not meet with the same critical reception: Heat grossed $187 million worldwide and earned rave reviews, while Jumanji faced a mixed reception, but topped the box office with grosses of $263 million and an overwhelming success that spawned a popular film series.
7 The Matrix & 10 Things I Hate About You — March 31, 1999
Once again, two classics of entirely different genres clashed at the box office on their opening day, back on March 31, 1999. The only thing that these two productions have in common, besides their release date, is that they helped launch their main actors to stardom. Keanu Reeves stars in the sci-fi blockbuster The Matrix, a production of the Wachowskis whose success spawned a trilogy ending in 2021. The film was widely acclaimed by critics and grossed over $460 million at the box office.
10 Things I Hate About You, on the other hand, delighted teen audiences with performances by Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, and while it was not as warmly received by moviegoers, it went on to become a cult classic and one of the most iconic teen romantic comedies in the history of cinema.
6 Mamma Mia! & The Dark Knight — July 18, 2008
Of all the film pairs featured in this list, Mamma Mia! and The Dark Knight are the closest to the Barbenheimer phenomenon, being both a fun musical film inspired by the band ABBA and featuring major industry stars, and a masterpiece by Christopher Nolan that made a mark in superhero film history.
Both movies were released on July 18, 2008, and while expectations were high for both titles, The Dark Knight quickly prevailed at the box office and with critics, earning a huge number of awards and grossing a total of $997 million worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing superhero film to that point. Meanwhile, Mamma Mia! performed very well at the box office, earning $611 million, and while its reviews were not as good, its popularity prompted the development of a sequel that hit theaters 10 years later.
5 Space Jam: A New Legacy & Pig — July 16, 2021
July 16, 2021 marked the release of two films that were highly anticipated by audiences for different reasons, Space Jam: A New Legacy and Pig. The former served as a standalone sequel to the popular 1990s film Space Jam, a production that became a hit with audiences, while the latter featured Nicolas Cage in one of the most acclaimed roles of his career.
Unlike the other film pairs on this list, these 2021 films performed very differently on every level: while Pig became a masterpiece from first-time director Michael Sarnoski,Space Jam's sequel disappointed critics and only managed to gross slightly over its original budget.
4 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan & Poltergeist — June 4, 1982
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the second installment of the film series inspired by the Star Trek show, hit theaters on June 4, 1982. This production, directed by Nicholas Meyer, served as a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture and starred William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Ricardo Montalban and DeForest Kelley, among many other actors.
On the very same day that this film was released, so wasPoltergeist, Tobe Hooper's horror classic based on a story by Steven Spielberg. Despite sharing the same opening day, both productions became box office hits to rave reviews, with The Wrath of Khan prevailing narrowly with a worldwide gross of $97 million.
3 Die Hard & A Fish Called Wanda – July 15, 1988
Die Hard and A Fish Called Wanda are very different productions, but they reached a similar level of acclaim, earning several Academy Award nominations among other accolades. The former, directed by John McTiernan, launched one of the most popular action franchises in history and cemented Bruce Willis as a leading star. The second one, on the other hand, had Charles Crichton serving as director and became one of the best films of the century.
Upon their release on July 15, 1988, A Fish Called Wanda smashed the box office with a worldwide gross of $188 million versus the $140 million reaped by Die Hard. However, Willis' film kicked off a franchise that, collectively, grossed $1.4 billion worldwide.
2 Blade Runner & The Thing — June 25 ,1982
Nowadays, Blade Runner and The Thing are considered two classic sci-fi movies. However, their reputation was not always such, and the main reason for this has to do with their release date. These films, directed respectively by Ridley Scott and John Carpenter, hit theaters on June 25, 1982, just days after Steven Spielberg's hugely popular film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released.
The overwhelming success of this production made the other two go unnoticed for a while. However, over the years they both achieved the recognition they deserved and consolidated their status as some of the best films of the genre.
1 Ghostbusters & Gremlins — June 8, 1984
Ghostbusters and Gremlins are two of the most iconic films of the 1980s and of the history of cinema, and it's pretty incredible that such masterpieces shared their premiere back on June 8, 1984. Both fantasy films managed to delight audiences with their impressive stories and made their mark on popular culture. Furthermore, Ivan Reitman's production kicked off a successful franchise that is still going strong to this day.
Both films were met with great acclaim and performed very well at the box office: Gremlins went on to gross over $212 million, while Ghostbusters earned $282 million worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing film of the year right after Beverly Hills Cop.