Barbenheimer in Lower Manhattan: How and Where to Spend Your Double-Feature Day

Barbenheimer is near! The year’s two most anticipated movies from a pair of prestigious Hollywood directors are dropping next week: Greta Gerwig’s bubblecore “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s explosive “Oppenheimer.” You could commit to five hours straight inside a theater binging them both, or the smarter approach would be to space them out a little with delicious meals and surprising pit-stops in between. 

Follow this guide to enjoy a most cineastic day: Live your candy-colored dreams while also contemplating the solemn responsibility of science without leaving the neighborhood.

Seeing the movies

All three movie theaters — Alamo Drafthouse, iPic Fulton Market and Regal Battery Park — are showing both films, starting with early showings on Thursday, July 20. At Alamo (28 Liberty St.), most of the weekend shows are already sold out, but you can still find lots of open seats during the workweek. Daytime screenings of “Barbie” start at 11:30 a.m. and the six daily showings run through 7:15 p.m.. “Oppenheimer” showings are 11 a.m., 3:20 p.m. and 7:15 p.m. Expect more daily screenings of both on the next weekend; Alamo hasn’t posted those showtimes yet. 

If you want to go on opening weekend, Regal Battery Park (102 North End Ave.) is the safest bet. The large theaters there are blowing the doors off for “Barbie,” screened on the hour starting at 10:30 a.m. Catch “Oppenheimer” at 10:50 a.m., 2:50 p.m., 7 p.m. and 11:10 p.m.

The dine-in iPic theater (11 Fulton St.) has a few weekend screenings, with “Barbie” taking noon, 3:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. shows. “Oppenheimer” has the 1:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 10:15 spots. 

In which order should you see them? Lynda Carter has a pretty profound take, but only you can decide what is best for your brain. 

Visit the Manhattan Project’s origin

The Manhattan Project — the effort to build the first atomic bomb during World War II — did in fact get its name because it started in Manhattan. You can visit the exterior of the nuclear program’s original location at Tower 270 (270 Broadway), where J. Robert Oppenheimer and colleagues once occupied the 18th floor. The city actually has a few buildings related to the project if you’re up for giving your legs a stretch. 

Toys R U 

Seeing “Barbie” will have you nostalgic for all your childhood toys. Rekindle that magic even more by visiting Two Kids and a Dog (275 Greenwich St.), a cozy neighborhood shop full of all sorts of wonder, pink and otherwise. 

A Barbie dining experience (with real food)

The Seaport’s pop-up Malibu Barbie Cafe offers a Mattel-inspired menu featuring items like Pacific Paradise Pancakes, West Coast Wave Wedge Salad and a California Dreamin’ Club Sandwich, plus swag and drinks. We took a recent tour of the cafe which you can watch here; heads up that you’ll need to book a table in advance. 

Popcorn alternatives 

If you’re seeing the movies at iPic or Alamo, take a break by cruising through the Tin Building. Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s culinary destination at 96 South St. has something for whatever appetite these movies put you in. If you choose Regal Battery Park for your movie-watching destination, pop over to Brookfield Place to take advantage of the bounty of snacking options there. 

Opt in for more Oppenheimer

For anyone who can’t get enough of the father of the bomb, the Museum of Jewish Heritage (36 Battery Pl.) is hosting a talk about the real-life Oppenheimer on July 16. Kai Bird, co-author of “American Prometheus” (the biography on which Nolan’s script is based), is scheduled to speak with historian Joseph Kanon about the nuclear physicist and what his legacy means today. The talk is available to watch in person or via livestream.

top photo: Universal/Warner Bros.