Barbenheimer weekend begins in New York City

It’s a Barbenheimer world – and this weekend, New York City is living in it.

Fans flocking to New York City movie theaters Friday were ready for an odd couple combo of cinematic releases: the Christopher Nolan film “Oppenheimer,” about the making of the atom bomb, and Greta Gerwig’s feminist take on Barbie.

Some wore pink. Some wore black. Some came prepared with a change of clothes in their bags to be appropriately dressed for the mood of each feature.

But all of them were excited to be at a movie theater in person, and to be part of Hollywood’s most anticipated weekend of the year.

At the Village East by Angelika theater on Second Avenue and 12th Street, Carina Goebelbecker, a freelance artist who works at a nonprofit, said she decided to do the double feature after seeing buzz on social media.

First up was Oppenheimer at 11:30 a.m. Goebelbecker was wearing black for the occasion, but opened her bag to reveal a pink outfit for the Barbie movie.

“It will be a really fun day of a lot of art, and a lot of thinking and reflecting,” said Goebelbecker.

Brooklynite Arthur Furniss, also at the Angelika, said he was originally more excited about Oppenheimer, but decided to do the double – roughly a six-hour endeavor – in honor of his 22nd birthday.

“I can’t think of a better birthday event than Barbenheimer,” he said.

Renata Gerecke, a self-professed film enthusiast and Gerwig fan, was seeing the World War II movie with pink sparkles decorating her cheeks, then heading to Barbie.

“I need something to chill me out after the tense vibes of Oppenheimer,” said Gerecke. “It feels like dinner before dessert.”

The phenomenon has theater owners across the country feeling enthusiastic and optimistic, according to Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, which represents…