Westerly Sun Column | Notable Double Features Over the Years

I’m not the person to talk to about the latest films showing in theaters. I only make it to the movies every few years, and only when something I’m really excited about comes out (the most recent was “Downton Abbey: The Movie” in 2019). Otherwise, I have no idea what’s showing. That said, even I couldn’t ignore the “Barbenheimer” craze, which has had me looking up showtimes for the first time in four years.

If you’re unfamiliar with “Barbenheimer,” the term is a portmanteau of the titles of two recent blockbuster films: “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” which were both released on July 21. Though they seem like complete opposites — the first being a live-action comedy about the iconic doll, and the latter a biological thriller about the man who is credited as “The father of the atomic bomb” — their simultaneous release and the hype surrounding each film has encouraged many to go to the theaters and watch the two back-to-back. Hence, Barbenheimer.

It’s not the first time two iconic films have been released on the same day. Not by far! I started looking back at the release dates over the last few decades, and there were some surprising ones. For instance, think back to Oct. 14, 1994. Don’t tell me you don’t remember … how could you possibly forget the release of “The Shawshank Redemption” and “Pulp Fiction,” widely considered two of the greatest movies of all time? A year later, on Nov. 22, 1995, “Toy Story” and “Casino” came out. Not unlike “Barbenheimer,” these two films were massively different, and were intended for vastly different audiences, but they both received critical acclaim and have not been forgotten in the years since.

Another fantastic pairing was “Die Hard” and “A Fish Called Wanda,” which came out on July 15, 1988. While both were undeniably successful, “Die Hard” has remained more of a household name over the years, with a large following that watches it every year during the Christmas season. There’s still debate over whether it’s truly a Christmas movie, though, as opposed to films like “Elf” and “Love Actually”; the only debate about these two films is which is the BETTER Christmas movie. And wouldn’t you know it, they were also both released in theaters on the same day: Nov. 7, 2003.

Some of the films that came out together are such unlikely pairings that I couldn’t help but laugh. While “Barbenheimer” may appeal to the masses, I doubt that the same people lining up for “The Shining” on May 23, 1980, were also staying late to watch “The Gong Show Movie.” Or “The Green Mile” and “Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo,” which both graced theaters on Dec. 10, 1999. More recently, the neo-noir crime thriller “Marlowe” was released on the same day as the cinematic marvel “Cocaine Bear.”

There are so many more, but alas, no more room. If you’re in the mood for an oddball double feature, though, all of these can be checked out of the Ocean State Library system.

by Cassie Skobrak, Adult Services Librarian