Margot Robbie has admitted she was as stunned as everyone else when Barbie hit the big time at the global box office.
Greta Gerwig's comedy about the 1959 Mattel Barbie doll, which grossed a whopping $1.4 billion, held its own against Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer biopic.
Margot, the producer and title star of the popular film, told us Variety she was shocked by the cultural impact the films had online during their opening weekend.
“The fact that people said, 'Oh, look at Oppenheimer first, then Barbie.' I thought, “See? People like everything.” People are weird,” she said.
Turns out the hilarious memes about Barbie fighting the “father of the atomic bomb” J. Robert Oppenheimer were all thanks to Margot.
Margot Robbie has admitted she was as stunned as everyone else when Barbie hit the big time at the global box office
In an interview for Variety's Actors on Actors with Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, Margot revealed that she was the mastermind behind the double billing known as Barbenheimer.
The Australian actor recalled the moment Oppenheimer producer Chuck Rove called her and said, “I think you guys should move your date” after the two films were set to be released on July 21.
“And I was like, 'We're not moving our date. If you're afraid to stand up to us, then move your date,'” Margot explained.
Greta Gerwig's comedy about the 1959 Mattel Barbie doll, which grossed a staggering $1.4 billion, held its own against Christopher Nolan's biopic Oppenheimer
“And he says, 'We're not moving our date. I just think it's better for you to move.' And I thought, “We're not moving!” I actually think this is a great duo. It's a perfect double bill, Oppenheimer and Barbie.'
Irish actor Cillian, 47, told Robbie: “That was a good instinct.”
The strange combination clearly worked, based on the sheer amount of hilarious memes that went viral leading up to the release of the two films.
Margot, the hit film's producer and lead actor, told Variety she was shocked by the online cultural impact the films had during their opening weekend.
Turns out the hilarious memes about Barbie fighting the 'father of the atomic bomb' J. Robert Oppenheimer were all thanks to Margot
'People are so smart. People kept asking me, “Does every marketing department talk to each other?” And I thought, 'No, this is the world doing this! This is not part of the marketing campaign,'” Margot said.
Cillian replied: 'And I think it happened because both films were good. In fact, there was a tremendous diversity of things in theaters that summer, and I think it just connected in a way that you or I or the studios or anyone could never have predicted.”
With a budget of $145 million, Barbie grossed an eye-popping $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office and scored an 88% approval rating from critics on Rotten tomatoes.
Meanwhile, with a $100 million budget, Oppenheimer amassed $953.2 million at the worldwide box office and scored 93% critical approval on Rotten tomatoes.