By Megan Sechrist
It is no secret that movie theaters, like many other businesses, took a hit during COVID-19 which still affects their traffic to this day. With the birth of streaming services like Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, MAX, and Tubi, we can watch all of the most anticipated films from the comfort of our own homes. Many films today go straight to streaming services and just skip the theater run entirely. I’ve seen quite a few films in the theaters this year and I can confidently confirm that I was only in two max capacity theaters this year: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour.
Teenage girls are often viewed as “obsessive fan-girls” when it comes to things that they enjoy. Young women are criticized for their hobbies and interests which is an idea that Gerwig fights against in her films. Strong, outspoken characters like Lady Bird McPherson and the March sisters, along with Gloria, Sasha and Barbie herself battle gender stereotypes in their respective scenarios. It is no wonder why young women flock to theaters around the world to watch these films that inspire them to be themselves. It is young women who single handedly saved movie theaters in 2023, and it all started with Barbenheimer.
The term “Barbenheimer” refers to the two most highly anticipated films of the summer, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which were both released on July 21, 2023. Very quickly, people realized that it would be a box office race between these two films to see which would have the better opening weekend numbers. There was a clear divide in the media over who was going to see which movie, as people started to pick sides and buy tickets in order to help their favorite win the box office race, until someone suggested seeing both. All of a sudden, movie-goers across the nation were excited to see both Barbie AND Oppenheimer, with some fans even going all out with a costume change in the middle of the showings. It became such a spectacle that even Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie hopped on the train by buying their tickets to see Oppenheimer! Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) joined the trend by supporting Barbie in the theater. Murphy is quoted saying “I’ll be going to see Barbie 100% — I can’t wait to see it… I think it's just great for the industry and for audiences that we have two amazing films by amazing filmmakers coming out on the same day.” for People Magazine. At the end of the record-breaking weekend, women made up 38% of the Oppenheimer audience and 71% of Barbie audiences. As for the box office, Barbie ended up making $155 million ($70 million in the first day) and Oppenheimer walked away with $82.4 million by the end of the weekend. Barbie ended up winning the box office race and broke the record for highest grossing film directed by a woman, all because women wanted to see a reflection of themselves on the big screen.
Greta Gerwig has become an inspiration for young women across the globe. Being one of the most famous women directors in modern cinema, Gerwig has spoken a lot about her experience in the film industry and how women are making more of an influence now than they ever had! Her characters are often compelling women who are fighting for their place in a world that doesn’t always accept them. These women reflect Gerwig’s personal journey, especially in her career. She is fighting for her place in the film industry; an industry that has always been dominated by men. Gerwig is quoted saying, “For so many female characters, and for women in general, the idea that desire and ambition are shameful is everywhere.” The fact that she is able to create women who fight to be themselves is just what we need at a time when young women have this much influence over an industry as powerful as Hollywood.
Teenage girls are often viewed as “obsessive fan-girls” when it comes to things that they enjoy. Young women are criticized for their hobbies and interests which is an idea that Gerwig fights against in her films. Strong, outspoken characters like Lady Bird McPherson and the March sisters, along with Gloria, Sasha and Barbie herself battle gender stereotypes in their respective scenarios. It is no wonder why young women flock to theaters around the world to watch these films that inspire them to be themselves. It is young women who single handedly saved movie theaters in 2023, and it all started with Barbenheimer.
The term “Barbenheimer” refers to the two most highly anticipated films of the summer, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which were both released on July 21, 2023. Very quickly, people realized that it would be a box office race between these two films to see which would have the better opening weekend numbers. There was a clear divide in the media over who was going to see which movie, as people started to pick sides and buy tickets in order to help their favorite win the box office race, until someone suggested seeing both. All of a sudden, movie-goers across the nation were excited to see both Barbie AND Oppenheimer, with some fans even going all out with a costume change in the middle of the showings. It became such a spectacle that even Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie hopped on the train by buying their tickets to see Oppenheimer! Cillian Murphy (Oppenheimer) joined the trend by supporting Barbie in the theater. Murphy is quoted saying “I’ll be going to see Barbie 100% — I can’t wait to see it… I think it's just great for the industry and for audiences that we have two amazing films by amazing filmmakers coming out on the same day.” for People Magazine. At the end of the record-breaking weekend, women made up 38% of the Oppenheimer audience and 71% of Barbie audiences. As for the box office, Barbie ended up making $155 million ($70 million in the first day) and Oppenheimer walked away with $82.4 million by the end of the weekend. Barbie ended up winning the box office race and broke the record for highest grossing film directed by a woman, all because women wanted to see a reflection of themselves on the big screen.
Greta Gerwig has become an inspiration for young women across the globe. Being one of the most famous women directors in modern cinema, Gerwig has spoken a lot about her experience in the film industry and how women are making more of an influence now than they ever had! Her characters are often compelling women who are fighting for their place in a world that doesn’t always accept them. These women reflect Gerwig’s personal journey, especially in her career. She is fighting for her place in the film industry; an industry that has always been dominated by men. Gerwig is quoted saying, “For so many female characters, and for women in general, the idea that desire and ambition are shameful is everywhere.” The fact that she is able to create women who fight to be themselves is just what we need at a time when young women have this much influence over an industry as powerful as Hollywood.
It would be ignorant to talk about the influence of young women on the movie theater industry without also talking about their influence on social media, especially TikTok. TikTok is one of the most influential apps in the world right now for younger generations, and teenage girls use it to influence each other. Ideas can go viral overnight on TikTok, one of these viral ideas being the idea of seeing Barbie and Oppenheimer as a double feature. Women caught wind of the idea of making a day of seeing both films and went right along with it. Barbenheimer became not only about seeing movies but about being with friends and family. Without the encouragement to see both movies and the threat of feeling left out of conversations, neither film would have been as successful as they were. All that encouragement came from social media influence, which reached an even higher level when Taylor Swift announced the theatrical release of her Eras Tour.
It is quite obvious that Swift’s key demographic is young women. Her most popular music is all pop tunes with themes of romantic relationships, but she writes so much more than that. Taylor Swift writes music about grief and loss, the struggles of being a woman in power, friendship, innocence and childhood, and so much more. It is the complexity and relatability of her music that captivates women, creating some of her most dedicated fans. It is no surprise that her newest film would ride off the success of her re-recorded albums and her renowned Eras Tour. Through her social media, Swift encouraged her fans to see her film in their Eras Tour costumes, trade friendship bracelets, and sing and dance around to all of their favorite songs. AMC jumped on the bandwagon by making collectable cups and popcorn buckets, free posters, and AMC brand friendship bracelets. After the success of Barbie, Swift’s team as well as AMC knew exactly what to do to appeal to young women in order to prompt them to come to the theaters. AMC was so onboard for what this would do for their company that they issued a statement informing all Swifties that singing and dancing is allowed and encouraged in the theaters during showings of The Eras Tour. Because of the dedication of Swift’s fanbase, as well as efforts from AMC, the film grossed $92.8 million during its opening weekend. These events are inspiring other famous women to try their hand in the film industry so the queen herself, Beyoncé, released a concert film of her tour, Renaissance, at the beginning of December 2023.
It is quite obvious that Swift’s key demographic is young women. Her most popular music is all pop tunes with themes of romantic relationships, but she writes so much more than that. Taylor Swift writes music about grief and loss, the struggles of being a woman in power, friendship, innocence and childhood, and so much more. It is the complexity and relatability of her music that captivates women, creating some of her most dedicated fans. It is no surprise that her newest film would ride off the success of her re-recorded albums and her renowned Eras Tour. Through her social media, Swift encouraged her fans to see her film in their Eras Tour costumes, trade friendship bracelets, and sing and dance around to all of their favorite songs. AMC jumped on the bandwagon by making collectable cups and popcorn buckets, free posters, and AMC brand friendship bracelets. After the success of Barbie, Swift’s team as well as AMC knew exactly what to do to appeal to young women in order to prompt them to come to the theaters. AMC was so onboard for what this would do for their company that they issued a statement informing all Swifties that singing and dancing is allowed and encouraged in the theaters during showings of The Eras Tour. Because of the dedication of Swift’s fanbase, as well as efforts from AMC, the film grossed $92.8 million during its opening weekend. These events are inspiring other famous women to try their hand in the film industry so the queen herself, Beyoncé, released a concert film of her tour, Renaissance, at the beginning of December 2023.
Inspirational women such as Taylor Swift, Greta Gerwig, and Beyoncé are paving the way for women to be present in all aspects of the film industry. During her Little Women press tour, Gerwig said “It feels that there is both a sisterhood, which is wonderful because nobody wants to be at the dance party on their own, and also that their [women filmmakers] films are being put alongside great male filmmakers’ without an asterisk. I’m happy for it to be special and not special at the same time.” The idea of women in the film industry is becoming more and more normalized and that, in part, is due to the overwhelming support from the women going to the theaters. We, as women, know how to have fun at a movie. It is a social event, it is a place for us to appreciate art, and it is a place where we can watch ourselves reflected on the screen and finally feel like we are making a difference in the world of film; starting with saving theaters!
Author Megan Sechrist, at the showings of Barbie and The Eras Tour.
