President Joe Biden hit up a local theater in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware with the First Lady to catch a public screening of Oppenheimer on August 1. The Bidens are spending the week in the popular vacation destination as part of their official summer getaway. Oppenheimer is the latest from acclaimed director Christopher Nolan. The film tells the story of The Manhattan Project through the lens of lead scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer. The Manhattan Project was the codename for the United States' development of the first atomic bombs.
Much has been made of the release of Oppenheimer, which came out on the same day as Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Barbie has absolutely dominated the box office and is expected to surpass $1 billion this week. Meanwhile, Oppenheimer has been able to hold its own. At the time of writing, the film has made over $400 million and made nearly $100 million during its domestic opening. Reportedly, there was a showing of Barbie at the same theater at the same time as the Oppenheimer showing the Bidens attended.
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Biden Calls Oppenheimer "Compelling"
In a brief exchange with reporters after the movie, Biden called the film “compelling.” The president kept the impromptu Q&A short. Furthermore, he did not answer any questions about the additional federal indictments former President Donald Trump was handed earlier in the day. However, it's no surprise that Biden chose Oppenheimer over Barbie. The President has previously expressed a love of historical biopics. In 2005, then-Senator Biden told CBS that his favorite movie was Chariots of Fire. The 1981 Oscar winner follows two British athletes who must choose between athletics and their religion while competing at the 1924 Olympics.
However, the question is now whether Biden will also be taking in Barbie. The ensemble comedy has been widely praised by critics. The film follows "Stereotypical Barbie" (Margot Robbie) as she travels from Barbieland to the real world to seek answers as to why her perfect life is beginning to be a lot less perfect. Furthermore, it currently holds an 88% critics rating and 84% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Perhaps Biden will catch a private screening at the White House. However, it's nice to see the President supporting a local theater while on vacation.
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