The viral Barbenheimer craze of 2023, without a doubt, took the world by storm. I, like many others, was up to date with The Odd Couple equivalent of movies, including partaking in the historic moviegoing event. And even though I recognized the cultural impact and influence of the Christopher Nolan & Greta Gerwig pairing, hearing that it changed Seth Rogen’s wave-making The Studio surprised me at first. But thinking about what I’ve already seen of the show, the surprise muse makes everything a lot clearer.
Rogen appeared on The Howard Stern Show to talk about the 2025 TV guide’s big-hitting show The Studio. A clip of the pair was shared on TikTok in which the actor and comedian was asked about the state of Hollywood and watching movies. The funny man quickly jumped in on the topic, noting that what’s so special about movie magic and the world of TV is that everything can change in a blink of an eye, with the right title.
The Superbad alum makes an astute point. As he says in the clip, people have always made the case that Hollywood is dead, but it simply isn’t true; it just takes that one game-changer to reignite some excitement. And if you’re anything like me, you’re thinking about that specific touchstone that jumpstarted the industry’s drive again. Stern also understood the sentiment and had the most recent example we’ve all experienced and chimed in with: “Like the Barbie movie.”
Immediately, the Houseplant owner shared his thoughts on the historic blockbuster movie and its unlikely 2023 partner. The Studio co-creator revealed that the pairing’s showcase influenced the new show in a whole new way. Along with the tidbit, he also revealed that the big summer weekend changed him and his longtime writing partner Evan Goldberg’s mindsets. Rogen shared:
Although not all that surprising, understanding how much it impacted the duo, it’s still a little wild to think that we’ll continue to find the influence of Barbie (and Oppenheimer) in surprising places. Also, I’m relieved to know the timing of the game-changing flicks’ premieres was kismetly timed while Rogen and Goldberg were fleshing out The Studio. Personally, I’m not sure if I could’ve taken that grimmer version of a look behind the scenes he mentioned. The Barbie-inspired Kool-Aid storyline featuring Bryan Cranston, along with the impressive cameo list, is truly what comedically larger-than-life content dreams are made of.
Clearly the power of Barbie x Oppenheimer remains alive and well (including an announced Barbenheimer movie that is reportedly in the works). The success of both movies helped revitalize the box office following the hits it took due to COVID-19. Collectively, the titles accrued more than $2 billion worldwide, but Barbie had the edge over Oppenheimer, making a little more than $500 million more while in theaters.
The other poignant idea Rogen revealed that goes hand in hand with the right film transforming Hollywood is that people within the industry can be the vehicle behind these seismic shifts. The most recent case in point is Gerwig's box-office-breaking influence for female filmmakers. Sure there's plenty of smaller scale instances that have happened since, but none rival what she did with Barbie BTS.
Regardless of where Tinseltown stands in its storied history of vitality, Seth Rogen isn't wrong about how the industry runs. And with the solid argument, a couple of things are for sure: Hollywood and the magic won’t ever die (thanks to the special films and humans who make it that way), where Seth Rogen pulls his inspiration from can be initially surprising and Barbie will continue to influence things in pop culture, including The Studio for a long time to come.