It's a big week for Hollywood with the release of two blockbusters that have collectively become known as "Barbenheimer": “Barbie,” about the iconic Mattel doll; and “Oppenheimer,” about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man often called the father of the atomic bomb.

One makes the shiny, pink, plastic world of Barbie come to life; the other explores what led to the real-life tragedy unleashed by America’s use of the atomic bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II.

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The two movies seem like opposites, at least on the surface. But are they?

“I think that it's exciting to have such a dissonant initial impression of the diametrically opposed theatrical experience,” Sarah G. Vincent, who writes about film for Cambridge Day, In Between Drafts and other outlets, told GBH’s Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel on Morning Edition Wednesday. “But I actually think when they go to the theaters, it's not going to feel like that.”

For the uninitiated: In April 2022, studios announced that director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” would open the same day as director Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

Some of the social media-driven excitement was about the difference in aesthetics: Barbie’s glamorous, shiny and highly-saturated magenta world juxtaposed against Oppenheimer’s darker tones.

People started getting excited about which film would find more commercial success, Vincent said. Nolan has a history of dominating summer box offices with releases like his Batman movies and “Interstellar.”

“This seems like almost a no-brainer, he's going to win. Maybe the odds are in his favor,” Vincent said. “I've been rooting for Greta Gerwig, who's the underdog in this race. But I also think — and this is going to be an unpopular hot take — [Gerwig] is the better filmmaker, because her movies are actually really empathetic and on a human level.”

It’s hard to tell which film will come out on top, she said. Both have definite draws, albeit for different audiences.

But they also may have more in common than meets the eye, Vincent said.

“The movies may deal with similar thorny human issues, and 'Barbie' might be deeper than everyone's expecting. And maybe 'Oppenheimer' will be the lighter movie,” she said. “I don't know how it's going to play out in the actual theaters, but I do think 'Barbie' might surprise. The fan base may not be expecting what they get from Greta Gerwig.”

She emphasized that “Barbie” might be a bit darker than people are expecting.

“I have a feeling it's going to be parents with their kids, in for a bit of a surprise,” she said.

There are also the die-hard film fans embarking on what’s being called "Barbenheimer" movie days, seeing both movies, one after the other. GBH’s Morning Edition co-host Jeremy Siegel plans to be among them.

But in the battle of Barbenheimer opening weekend, most people will opt for a third choice: Staying home.

Movie theater attendance is just not what it once was. Some audience members are more comfortable at home, on their own couches with their own reasonably-priced popcorn, and no summer blockbuster will lure them back into a movie theater.

“I don't think this is what's going to tempt them to necessarily come outside,” Vincent said. “But for the people who are reliable Christopher Nolan fans and the people who like Barbie, they're going to come out.”

Further complicating the weekend box office is the fact that the star actors are on strike with the Screen Actors Guild, meaning they cannot promote their projects until major studios reach an agreement with the union.

Still, movie theaters have not had an opening weekend with this much buzz in a long time.

“When I went to 'Barbie,' I wore different shades of pink,” Vincent said. “And I don't usually do that. I'm usually kind of incognito in, like, the grayest, darkest thing. So that was a nice contrast. Maybe I'll continue it for the 'Oppenheimer' screening.”