ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Given New Mexico’s history, “Oppenheimer” is likely to make a strong connection with some New Mexicans. On the other hand, who doesn’t love the pink aesthetic of “Barbie?”
Both movies share a July 21 release date. And both are drawing a lot of hype. “Oppenheimer” is director Christopher Nolan’s first R-rated film in over a decade. And “Barbie” has had broad promotion from a mural in Austin, Texas to ads on the dating app Bumble.
So, which are you more interested in seeing? What does the data show so far?
Although not a perfect measure of popularity, one way to compare is to look at Google data. Search data shows that “Barbie” seems to have generated more buzz in the U.S. overall, including in New Mexico.
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Google search data shows where “Barbie” is outpacing “Oppenheimer” or vice versa.
In New Mexico, despite the historical connection to the development of the atomic bomb, Google searches for “Barbie” have outnumbered searches for “Oppenheimer” three-to-one over the last week, data shows. Although New Mexico is one of the top five states where people are Googling “Oppenheimer,” albeit less often than “Barbie.”
In New Mexico, Google is seeing interest in “Oppenheimer” from Los Alamos and Santa Fe. But in Albuquerque, not so much. For “Barbie,” southern New Mexico, including Sunland Park and Las Cruces, seems to lean towards the fun, pink film, the data shows.
Before a box office battle breaks out between northern and southern New Mexico, consider this: You can see both films.
That’s exactly what some New Mexicans are planning on doing. In fact, the Frankenstein-esque term “barbenheimer” has been trending on Google searches in New Mexico.
