Too many big movies have clashed in the past with their release dates but the Barbie and Oppenheimer clash is something for the history books. And the good thing is, this was probably the healthiest debate and competition that we have come across. People actually created conversation around cinema, history, feminism and so much more. But, sadly, it turned ugly in our country – with unnecessary comments that are deeply toxic.
Recently, the statistics around advance booking for both the films in India were released. According to numbers, Oppenheimer has sold ten times the tickets as Barbie. Of course there are too many factors that affect these numbers. However, this led to a debate, which again, could’ve been healthy like it was up until now. And the issue is that some people not only took offense with Barbie, but also went on to share problematic reasons as to why these numbers differ.
This included comments like – “It’s for gay men,” or “Boys will be forced by girlfriends to watch it”. The hate around the movie is concerning because a lot of these comments are homophobic and sexist. And well, that is definitely no way to defend an argument. It’s also sad that two brilliant movies, created by some very talented people are not being seen for that. We’ve let cinema down, sure, but we’ve also let humanity down – because these comments are unnecessary and WRONG.
See for yourself:
We’ve always known how to ruin good things, but this insensitivity is appalling.