It’s official, folks! Barbenheimer is a legit phenomenon, especially in the U.S. where Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed new comedy “Barbie” scored a bullseye at the box office, with over $160 million, which represents the biggest opening weekend for any movie so far this year. (That film also notched the best Monday take in Warner Bros. history and the largest first weekend gross for any film directed by a woman ever.)
All of this despite a pathetic attempt at a “Barbie” ban by the far right that totally backfired and apparently lured more people to the big screen to see what all the fuss was about. Long story short, it was a magnificent weekend for moviegoers and moviegoing, as the other half of Barbenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated IMAX epic about J. Robert Oppenheimer (the father of the atomic bomb), also cleaned up at the box office, with more than $80 million domestic its first weekend, a huge haul for a movie not in first place.
Tom Cruise may have saved the box office in 2022 with his “Top Gun” sequel, but it was three wonderful women who saved cinemas this summer: Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie, and Barbie. To mark this historic weekend for the movie business, we have a lovely pink and blue photo of a beaming Barbie and Ken on our cover that directs readers to reviews of both blockbusters (and a couple other movies), on page 23.
Elsewhere in the late July Issue of Outword, you will find an announcement about a brand-new permanent exhibit at the Sacramento History Museum in Old Sac and an interview with one of the acrobats from Cirque du Soleil’s “Corteo,” a classic touring show that performs in early August at our Golden 1 Center, plus our book critic reviews “Gays on Broadway.”
Speaking of Broadway, Chris Narloch shares his first report from a recent trip to New York City, with a review of the current red-hot revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical masterpiece “Sweeney Todd,” starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford. Chris also lets us in on other exciting theater news closer to home — here in Sacramento and over in San Francisco and Davis – and he gives us a sweet tribute to the late, great Tony Bennett.
Not to be outdone, Matt Burlingame has an entire column of fun things to do on page 28, including a super-fun double-bill of both “Gremlins” films coming to Sacramento’s Crest Theatre this August, with star Zach Galligan in person.
Of course, man cannot live on arts alone, so this edition of Outword also details the California Senate’s constitutional amendment protecting marriage equality which passed with bipartisan support, and Christina Allan spotlights another historic first, Sacramento’s recent hosting of the Homeless World Cup.
We also hope you will check out some fun photos on page 17 from the inaugural Drag Queen Bingo events that rocked Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento in Wheatland recently. To do so, click on Barbie and Ken, or pick up a print copy of Outword wherever fine newspapers are sold. (Just kidding…we’re still free, free, free!)
