Francis Ford Coppola is praising Barbenheimer after the two films’ record opening weekend.
While answering questions from fans on his instagram stories On Friday, the filmmaker was asked if he had seen the Greta Gerwig film. Barbie and Christopher Nolan oppenheimer still.
“I have yet to see them, but the fact that people are packing big theaters to see them and that they are neither sequels nor prequels, with no number attached, meaning they are true one-offs, is a win for cinema.” Coppola responded.
Barbie and oppenheimer it exceeded all expectations in its opening weekend of July 21-23. Gerwig’s doll movie not only had one of the best openings since the pandemic, it also broke the record for the biggest opening for a female director. As for the Nolan movie, oppenheimer ranked as the third-biggest opening for a biopic in North America.
Coppola has been outspoken about her distaste for sequels, prequels, and the modern film industry in general. Although he was the mastermind behind The Godfather trilogy, the director and producer is not a big fan of Marvel and its movie franchises.
“There used to be studio movies,” he said in a 2022 interview with G.Q. magazine. “Now there are images from Marvel. And what is a Marvel image? A Marvel movie is a prototype movie that is made over and over and over and over again to look different.”
The Oscar-winning director, who has been in the industry for more than five decades, has seen the way the medium has transformed over the years. When another fan asked on Instagram where he thinks movies will be in the next 10 years, Coppola had nothing but high hopes.
“My hunch is that we are on the verge of a golden age,” he said. “Wonderful and illuminating cinema seen in large theaters.”
Barbie and oppenheimer are currently in theaters.
