The Barbieheimer Effect: Google Searches Spike for 'Patriarchy,' 'Existential Crisis,' and 'Communism'
Oppenheimer might have traumatized us, but Barbie left us reeling. Suffice it to say, it’s been a fantastic week for cinema. Who would have thought that a Barbie x Oppenheimer matchup could potentially save the future of cinema in the midst of the writer's and actors' strikes in Hollywood? Three months into the Writers Guild Strike, it’s clear that no matter what studios might think, nothing could replace the profound scriptwriting from the likes of Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan. We doubt AI could heal our mommy issues the way Gerwig did through Barbie or make us fear for the fate of the world as Nolan did through Oppenheimer.
Also read:
Barbie Is the Most Important Film of 2023
The First Reactions to Oppenheimer Will Not Dampen Your Excitement
Cinema has always been about more than just entertainment—it’s a reflection and analysis of the real world, capable of triggering the most vital conversations. Nothing proved that more than Barbieheimer, because after they’re global opening weekend, Barbie and Oppenheimer have caused Google searches to spike for topics like “patriarchy,” “existential crisis,” and “communism.”
Based on Google Trends data, Barbie’s related searches saw a 350 percent boost in searches for “existential crisis” on July 21, just two days after Barbie’s July 19 release in the Philippines. Clearly, the movie had people leaving the cinema questioning their own existence, much like Barbie in the movie.
Meanwhile, as of July 24, it also looks like Barbie cinemagoers are Googling “patriarchy” and “gynecologist,” which are now two breakout searches in the Philippines. We consider this a win for all the men and women out there who came out of Barbie with a little more self-awareness.
As for Oppenheimer, Nolan fans have caused a 1,300 percent increase in local searches for “communism.” No need to raise the alarm though as we highly doubt anyone’s interested in joining it after watching that film. The fate of Oppenheimer sealed the deal on that.
Nolan’s new film is without a doubt a masterpiece, but even geniuses would have had a hard time keeping up with all the plot lines, timelines, and characters. Google recorded local search spikes in the scientists that were mentioned in the film, like Edward Schrödinger, the Nobel Prize-winning Austrian physicist who developed the fundamentals of quantum theory; Klaus Fuchs (1,050 percent), the physicist who spied on the Los Alamos project for the Soviets; Werner Heisenberg (600 percent), the German theoretical physicist who led Germany’s nuclear weapons program during WWII; David Hill (500 percent), the scientist who exposed Lewis Strauss’ vendetta against Oppenheimer; and Edward Teller (500 percent), the so-called father of the hydrogen bomb.
Whoever says movies are only entertainment is kidding themselves. We’ve probably learned more about the patriarchy and nuclear programs than we did in school. Barbieheimer was an educational canon event, and if you still haven’t watched either film, both are still in cinemas in the Philippines.
