Demographics? That has nothing to do with it. They are different genres, but lots of people like multiple genres. Me, for example. I want to see both. Since I can only sit in one theater at a time, that means they are competing.

Movies that release at the same time are considered to be competing because most audiences don’t go watch two movies in a weekend, they pick 1. Genre and demographic don’t necessarily have to be the same for movies to compete but there’s definitely overlap here. Barbie is being made by an auteur director, just like Oppenheimer. That’s partially why Barbie has hype, there’s a legitimately great director handling it instead of some unknown that is more likely to be pushed around by producers. Me and most of my friends all want to see both and we’re 30 year olds. Also worth mentioning that couples generally alternate between who gets to pick the movie and this is a perfect example of dudes wanting Oppy and ladies wanting Barbie - who will come out on top? It’s fun to talk about.