Oppenheimer Producer Asked Margot Robbie To Move Barbie’s Release Date: “If You’re Scared…”

Barbie star Margot Robbie reveals that an Oppenheimer producer asked her to push Barbie’s release date, but she declined. Barbie and Oppenheimer made headlines this summer due to their simultaneous release dates on July 21, 2023. Coined “Barbenheimer,” their joint release was hyped for months, with audiences wondering which film would come out on top at the box office.

Robbie reveals in Variety’s “Actors on Actors” conversation that an Oppenheimer producer asked the producer-actress to move Barbie’s release date. Speaking with Oppenheimer star Cillian Murphy, Robbie revealed that Chuck Roven, one of Oppenheimer’s producers, called Robbie and said “I think you guys should move your date.” Robbie refused, telling Roven that he should move Oppenheimer’s release date if he was “scared to be up against” the well-received Barbie. Check out the full quote from Robbie below:

One of your producers, Chuck Roven, called me, because we worked together on some other projects. And he was like, ‘I think you guys should move your date.’ And I was like, ‘We’re not moving our date. If you’re scared to be up against us, then you move your date.’ And he’s like, ‘We’re not moving our date. I just think it’d be better for you to move.’ And I was like, ‘We’re not moving!’

Barbenheimer’s Shared Release Date Helped Both Films

When Barbie and Oppenheimer were released, the discourse was heavily focused on which film would come on top of the box office. In this sense, Barbie clearly won the battle. Grossing over $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office in comparison to Oppenheimer’s $950 million, Barbie became the highest-grossing film of 2023. It had immense box office staying power as it spent over two months in the box office top 5 during its theatrical run.

That said, the Barbenheimer phenomenon was a huge help to both films. Ever since the shared release date was announced, Barbenheimer has been the subject of countless internet memes and conversations. As a result, seeing Barbie and Oppenheimer as a back-to-back double feature also became a popular trend, thus drawing audiences to both films that may not have otherwise gone to see one or the other had they been released at different times.

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Even with losing out to Barbie, Oppenheimer was an incredible box-office success for a drama of its nature. Though just shy of a $1 billion worldwide gross, the film managed to become the third-highest grossing film of 2023 so far. Furthermore, Oppenheimer has proven its staying power during its VOD release, even beating out Barbie in the two films’ VOD opening weekends. While Roven may have been right to fear Barbie’s formidable box-office potential, Robbie’s release date stubbornness ended up working in Oppenheimer‘s favor.