This is the ideal viewing order for the ‘Barbenheimer’ double feature

Posters advertise Oppenheimer and Barbie in New York and California, respectively. They both hit theaters nationwide on Friday.

Arturo Holmes/Mario Tama/Getty Images

The two big movies hitting theaters on Friday couldn’t be more different.

There’s Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s sprawling biographical thriller about the man known as the father of the atomic bomb, which the director has said will leave viewers “absolutely devastated.” And there’s Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, a fantasy comedy with original songs and enough pink paint to prompt a real-life shortage.

Together, they form Barbenheimer. Or is it Oppenbarbie? Boppenheimer?

Whatever you call it, it’s blown up into a cultural juggernaut.

Warner Bros. and Mattel unleashed a powerful Barbie marketing blitz, with over 100 official brand collaborations. Retailers and restaurants have followed suit, offering their own twist on “Barbiecore.”

And while Oppenheimer has taken a more subdued approach, all the hype appears to have given both movies a boost.

For weeks people have been making memes and merchandise celebrating the mashup, effectively transforming a box-office battle into an unlikely double feature.

And it seems many people are actually committing to the bit: The National Association of Theatre Owners projects that more than 200,000 moviegoers will attend same-day viewings of both movies across North America this weekend.

“This weekend has captured the cultural imagination in an unprecedented way,” association President and CEO Michael O’Leary, told NPR in a statement. “People … are…