‘Barbenheimer’ Rekindles Debate About Rights and Wrongs of Taking Photos at the Cinema

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The Barbie-Oppenheimer cultural phenomenon ‘Barbenheimer’ has taken the internet by storm, but it has also stirred up a lot of discourse about cinema etiquette, particularly around taking photographs at screenings.

The dual-opening of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer on July 21 prompted people to buy tickets to both movies to watch as a double feature, smashing box office records and sparking a bumper weekend for cinema in the process. However, some didn’t survive the two screenings without distraction as cinemagoers took to social media to share their personal experiences.

Outside of discussions about Barbie’s inevitable ending and Oppenheimer’s historical accuracy, one of the biggest talking points surrounding this summer’s most unlikely double bill derived from audiences’ behavior, which rekindled a debate about the rights and wrongs of audience members using phones at the cinema.

As the various social networks filled up with photos and videos from Barbie and Oppenheimer screenings around the globe, people on Twitter (now known as X) voiced their viewpoints on whether phones should or shouldn’t be allowed inside movie theaters in order to catch a snap or shoot a reel to share online.

The vast majority of people argued it is not considerate to other audience members to use a phone, nor is it necessary, with many calling out the so-called “TikTok generation” for not being able to last the entire runtime of a movie without using an electronic device. Others, however, didn’t see any harm in the behavior and felt people were trying to police a situation that doesn’t warrant attention.

Cinema culture is lost on people. And this person had the guts to say “I put my phone on low brightness…I didn’t run the film for anyone”

Tf?! Why would you take pictures of a film IN a cinema? Why? https://t.co/rSwrCV1Vqc

— Devil’s regent (@Haloed_demon) July 23, 2023

this oppenheimer movie is way too long pic.twitter.com/EGbnOgfqsz

— Eric Zhu (@ericzhu105) July 22, 2023

i’m sorry but why do some people in the cinema feel the need to take a picture in the middle of the movie or send a snapchat text?? like i don’t want to see the light of your screen just watch the damn movie fgs!!

— jade! RUE DAYY (@coopersjake) July 22, 2023

why do people still not understand you’re not supposed to take pictures in the cinema WHEN THEY TELL YOU NOT TO DO THAT https://t.co/awgZ03gbvZ

— THE RobTFilms (@robtfilms) July 22, 2023

why do people take pictures in the cinema (and with flash) #barbie

— :/ (@SamDS2000) July 22, 2023

A lot of people clearly don’t know how to behave in a cinema, honestly put the damn phones away & stop taking photos of the movie.

“No mobile phone usage. At all. Not even on ‘flight mode.’ This isn’t an aeroplane, its a cinema.”#Oppenheimer #Barbie pic.twitter.com/cF8Y5yXyph

— Ripley (@Mad_For_Movies) July 23, 2023

So when did people start thinking it’s acceptable to take your phone out in a cinema and just start recording / taking photos of the screen?

Seeing so much for #Barbie and #Oppenheimer this weekend.

— Ross Bishop (@RossBishop) July 23, 2023

I would take pictures of barbie at the cinema like it’s a concert but I physically can’t get my phone out of my bag when I’m at the cinema

— hestia (@livcookefilms) July 18, 2023

I don’t disagree that taking photos in a movie theatre is bad form, but wow a lot of you are cops, huh?

— James Bartholomeou (@iyagovos) July 23, 2023

taking pictures of movies is fine if your phone brightness isn’t bothering people (just take it quietly!) https://t.co/Q2SmnNwkKE pic.twitter.com/4xw9YuQOZR

— Lobin🌹WATCHED BARBENHEIMER (@aragornshope) July 23, 2023

Unless they are using their camera flash, how is this disrespectful or unacceptable?

— Charming Taint Man (@bigjuicyreece) July 23, 2023

Movie theater patrons may not be in agreement on the matter, but some positives are coming out of Barbie and Oppenheimer screenings. In fact, Christopher Nolan told IGN in a recent interview that he is sure Barbenheimer will do great things for the moviegoing experience, and Cillian Murphy concurred with that.

“Summer, in a healthy marketplace, is always crowded, and we’ve been doing this a long time,” Nolan told IGN when asked about sharing a release date with Barbie. “I think for those of us who care about movies, we’ve been really waiting to have a crowded marketplace again, and now it’s here, and that’s terrific.”

The two blockbusters occupy entirely different zones of cinema, yet their same-day release has rendered them forever linked, and box office analysts are reeling from the genius of the Hollywood executives behind this specific case of counter-programming. Barbie itself landed the best domestic box office opening day of 2023.

What’s your cinema etiquette? Let us know in the comments!

Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.