The big weekend is finally here - the weekend Barbie and Oppenheimer release in cinemas on the very same day. Some of you might have already seen both by the time you read this, meticulously planning your day so you can squeeze in both, potentially with activities before and after that pair nicely with your viewings. Brunch before Barbie and then a dark room with a whisky and a cigarette after Oppenheimer would be my running order of choice.
Sadly, I won't be joining those of you who will be piecing together outfits that are both oozing with Kenergy but also fit the dress code of an atomic bomb. While I will have seen both Barbie and Oppenheimer by the end of this weekend, my viewings will not be back-to-back. My wife wants to see Barbie, my friends want to see Oppenheimer, and I was the only one sitting in the middle of the Venn diagram hoping to see both on the same day.
That's okay, as it turns out there's another Barbenhiemer coming our way in September. Saw 10 and Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie have both been given the same release date of September 29, 2023, and I will be there on opening weekend to watch them.
Horror movies aren't usually my thing, but something about the Saw franchise has kept me hooked for all nine films. For those of you who tapped out after the third one, there has never been a better time to rejoin the fold. Saw 10 will take place between the first and second movies on the canon timeline with Tobin Bell returning to the role of Jigsaw.
Since I watched the very first Saw however, I have become a parent. That means I’ve been exposed to media like Paw Patrol, and when my little one gets a whiff of there being a movie based on the pups, he's going to want to see it. I'm trying to keep it from him for as long as possible, not because I don't want him to see it, but because he isn't old enough to understand what release dates are and how the creation of films he loves actually works. The first thing he wanted to do the day after seeing The Super Mario Bros. Movie was go to see the next one. Trying to explain that probably won't happen until he's about seven was an awkward conversation.
So, the logistics for the day itself. While I can and will go and see The Mighty Movie, my three-year-old can't come with me to see Saw. Not only because it’s against the law, but also because he hasn’t seen the previous nine films. The last thing I want is someone asking me “Who’s that?” and “Why is that guy being torn apart?” every five minutes. That means my double feature will begin with Paw Patrol and end with Saw, hopefully with my wife taking our son home after The Mighty Movie rather than him hovering outside while I step away to quickly experience Jigsaw's return. She doesn't like the Saw movies anyway so that should be fine.
As jarring as it's going to be this weekend as people navigate the complicated thoughts and feelings they'll experience watching Barbie and Oppenheimer on the same day, the current clash of genres has got nothing on what I have planned for September 29. I'll still be trying to move past how Rubble and Chase saved Adventure Bay when the opening credits for a grizzly horror movie start to roll.
The most fascinating part will be looking around the cinema during Saw 10 to see if I recognize anyone from the Paw Patrol screening. That iconic scene from Always Sunny where Charlie and Mac stare at each other from across the restaurant springs to mind. There’ll be a lot of that this weekend as people in Oppenheimer screenings spot fellow Barbie fans dotted around the theater, sporting splashes of pink in a sea of grey. In my case I'll be on the lookout for other tired parents who have been up since 5 am, their kids unable to sleep thanks to the excitement generated by an imminent cinema trip. The few of us silly enough to watch both movies on the same day will be kept awake by jumpscares, trying not to take a nap and make the most of the first time we've been left alone in a dark room without the risk of being asked if our phones have games for the first time in years.