Martin Scorsese is the latest director to endorse Barbenheimer

He’s optimistic about what it could mean for cinema

Many famous directors are fans of the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon.

It’s been a few months since the most unlikely summer doubleheader imaginable turned into one of the most talked about box office success stories. the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer — also known through the portmanteau Barbenheimer — were both critical and commercial successes that launched thousands thoughtfully in their wake. The way both films were the rare non-franchise cinematic event may also have larger implications for cinema in the theater.

It’s no surprise, then, that several prominent filmmakers have expressed their sympathy for the phenomenon. Quentin Tarantino was one such figure, showing up to see both films the weekend they opened. He’s not the only Oscar-winning director with a penchant for casting Leonardo DiCaprio, who has enjoyed both films, as it turns out.

As Fran Ruiz of the Popverse ReferencesMartin Scorsese referred to the phenomenon in an interview with Hindustan Times. “It didn’t come at the right time. And the most important thing is that people went to see them in a theater,” said Scorsese. “And I think that’s great.”

He went on to note that he hasn’t seen any of the films yet — though he did mention that cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto worked on Barbie after work on Scorsese’s direction was completed Killers of the Flower Moon.

In the same interview, Scorsese also hailed both films as showing a shift in direction to bigger-budget productions. “It offers some hope for the emergence of a different kind of cinema, different from what’s been going on for the last 20 years, apart from the great work that’s being done in independent cinema,” he said. Let’s hope.