This past summer has been one of the most anticipated and controversial summers for all things entertainment.
From the “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” release to the ‘Team Conrad or Jeremiah internet feud,’ there have been plenty of exciting things going on in the world of film and music over the last few months.
As soon as fans found out that both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” were both going to be released on July 21, they became ecstatic. Many bought tickets to both films to experience a back to back feature to fully take in the pink world that is “Barbie” to the black world that is “Oppenheimer”. Fans dressed up for both films, made creative merch and created art that captured both films. “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwin and starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, won several awards and broke multiple records. “Barbie” is now the biggest opening movie of 2023 and the biggest opening movie directed by a female, along with being the highest grossing film directed by a woman and passing the billion dollar mark at the worldwide box office. In total, “Barbie” made over 1.38 billion dollars.
Senior Riley Corrins said, “My favorite film that came out this summer was Barbie. This movie brought out a very nostalgic piece of my life because I grew up playing with Barbies, so I was immediately excited to see the movie. It was so heartwarming seeing everyone so dedicated to wearing their best pink outfits and going with their best friends to see it. The movie also had many messages within it, like women can honestly be anything in today’s world, change is inevitable, and not everyone needs someone else to figure out who they are. The ‘Barbie’ movie was a great bonding moment for mothers and daughters, too, for it showed a struggling relationship between a mother and her aging teenager who wasn’t interested in their relationship anymore. Overall, this movie was a beautiful image of life.”
“Oppenheimer,” directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Cillian Murphy made $310.3 million at the US box office and $542.7 million overseas. The film surpassed “Dunkirk” and “Saving Private Ryan,” becoming the highest-grossing World War II film of all time.
On July 4, the film “The Sounds Of Freedom” directed by Alejandro Monteverde immediately struck controversy and conversion. It’s an action thriller about a U.S. federal agent who goes rogue on a mission to rescue children in Latin America from sex trafficking. The film was low budget and made over 180 million dollars in the domestic box office.
The controversy broke out after many believed it “played into right-wing conspiracy theories.” Many fans have reported that their theaters were shut down while trying to watch the movies. They also reported that the theater’s lights were kept on or they were asked to evacuate the theater without further explanation. The director of the film has come forward and stated that there is no political connection to the film and no underlying conspiracy theories.
For many T.V. lovers, their summer has been about one thing and one thing only: “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The long-awaited second season of the series came out July 14, starting with the first three episodes. The show is based on the famous book series “The Summer I Turned Pretty” by Jenny Han. The second season follows Isabelle “Belly” Conkin after the recent death of her close family friend and the break-up between her and Conrad. The show has plenty of twists and turns along with several love triangles that have created an internet feud between Jeremiah and Conrad.
The two characters are brothers and are both romantically interested in Belly. The internet has stopped to no extent to voice their opinion on who the better love interest for the main girl is. Fans have made countless posts along with TikToks and edits. The show is also notoriously known for its wide variety of Taylor Swift songs featured in the series.
Speaking of Taylor Swift, the “Eras Tour” has taken the world by storm. The “Eras Tour” is Swift’s most expensive tour yet, with 146 dates across five continents. Fans have been planning for months on how they are going to get tickets, what they are going to wear, and even what time to arrive at the venue in order to beat long merch lines.
The show brings fans along as Swift travels through each of her musical eras. Swift’s performs for 3 hours and 15 minutes, with a set list that leaves fans on the edge of their seats. Swift also includes two surprise songs each night and fans have taken it upon themselves to decode different messages Swift has sent out in order to predict these songs. Swift completed her first branch of the tour back in August, but more shows are to come.
The artist has stopped at no extent to make this tour spectacular, bringing along some very well-known opening acts to accompany her during each show like Phoebe Bridgers, Gracie Abrams, and Sabrina Carpenter. On October 13, an “Eras Tour” movie is set for release and tickets are now available online. The “Era’s Tour” has not only been great for fans but has also made a significant impact on the economy. The tour elevated commercial activity and economy of each city it visited, boosted local businesses, the hospitality industry, clothing sales, public transport revenues, and tourism. The tour has made over 2.2 billion dollars as of now.
Closing the summer out, singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo dropped a new album entitled “GUTS” following her previous album “SOUR.” The album has twelve songs along with a bonus track that can only be found on her vinyl records. Fans have been awaiting this album for some time now and it’s safe to say they are not disappointed. The album features more of a rock genre than her previous one and has received tons of positive feedback. The album came out September 8, but the first single “Vampire” came out June 30. Shortly after, her last single entitled “Bad Idea Right” came out August 11.
This summer has been nothing but packed full of entertainment even though the writers strike is currently in full swing. The writers strike started in the spring and writers of the union are asking for fairer compensation and protections. Many shows and films have been delayed due to the strike. Writers are now looking for help from fans, asking them to vote and post on social media to boost the cause.
