Matt Damon doesn’t understand why fans have to decide between seeing “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” when they can go see both.
The actor recently referenced the controversy, which has been going on since it was announced that both major theatrical releases from Universal and Warner Bros. would happen on July 21. Social media users seem to think that means battle lines are drawn, but the “Good Will Hunting” alum says the rivalry shouldn’t exist at all.
“This is the first I’m hearing about it, actually. I haven’t paid any attention to that,” Matt Damon told Vanity Fair about the debate. “People are allowed to go see two movies in a weekend. ‘Oppenheimer’ is one of them!”
The audiences for each film don’t necessarily have much overlap. The fantasy-comedy “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is one of the most highly anticipated releases of the summer. The synopsis of the film says, “After being expelled from Barbieland for being a less than perfect-looking doll, Barbie sets off for the human world to find true happiness.”
Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer” details the true story of General Leslie Groves (Damon), the director of the Manhattan Project who appointed J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) to develop the atomic bomb, which would end World War II.
“Groves was a military man, and so much of that ethos is about compartmentalization and the need to know all of the stuff,” Damon told the publication during a Zoom interview.
“And the scientists were all about sharing information so that they can get the truth right … there was this constant tension. The scientists felt it was actually necessary to be sharing all the information that they could, and the military felt we had to try to make whatever gains we could without giving away any of our secrets.”
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Damon, who has four daughters, said it’s possible he’ll be one of those moviegoers forced to see both movies that weekend.
“I’ll have to ask them that,” the actor said when asked if he thought his family would pick “Barbie” over his historical drama. “If that’s the case, they’ll see two movies that weekend!”