In a cinematic feat that’s taken the UK by storm, thousands of movie enthusiasts have risen to the “Barbenheimer” challenge, watching both Christopher Nolan’s intense atomic thriller Oppenheimer and Greta Gerwig’s fluffy fantasy Barbie back to back. But one cinephile, Mitch Corrigan, took it to the next level by adding Tom Cruise’s action-packed Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One to the mix, completing an epic movie marathon in a single day.
The 22-year-old freelance filmmaker from Glastonbury, Somerset, embarked on a 300-mile round trip to London, watching all three films with less than 30 minutes separating each screening. The total run time? A staggering seven-and-a-half hours.
Corrigan’s movie marathon began at the IMAX at the BFI in London, where he watched Oppenheimer in its specially enhanced 70mm film format at 4:10 am. He then dashed across Waterloo Bridge to Leicester Square’s Vue cinema, where he caught Barbie at 8 am, followed by Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One at 11 am.
At a total run time of more than seven-and-a-half hours and involving a 300-mile round trip to London, the 22-year-old’s movie marathon was no small feat (pictured: Mitch Corrigan)
Cinephile Mitch Corrigan made his first stop at the IMAX at the capital’s BFI at 4.10am to watch Christopher Nolan’s intense atomic thriller
Corrigan confessed that he was “shattered” after watching Oppenheimer, but he pushed on, driven by his passion for cinema. “I don’t know what the right words are to describe my state of mind after Oppenheimer,” he said. “I definitely wasn’t all there because I was just completely flabbergasted by what I had just seen – it was incredible.”
The freelance filmmaker revealed that Oppenheimer was his favorite among the three films, calling it “totally riveting, totally cinematic, and utterly enthralling.”
The freelance filmmaker dashed over Waterloo Bridge to Leicester Square’s Vue cinema where he watched Barbie at 8am
The Barbenheimer phenomenon has taken the UK by storm, with Vue International reporting its biggest weekend for UK cinema ticket sales in four years. Rival Odeon also saw a massive surge in ticket sales, with over 10,000 guests expected to see both films during the opening weekend.
Even Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise got in on the action, with Sunak posting a photo of his family on social media with the caption “Barbie first it is #Barbenheimer” and Cruise saying, “I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie.”
Rishi Sunak took the opportunity to join in by posting a photo with his family on social media with the caption ‘Barbie first it is #Barbenheimer’
As the box office numbers continue to roll in, it’s clear that the Barbenheimer challenge has become a cultural phenomenon, bringing together film enthusiasts from all walks of life to celebrate the magic of cinema.