Baftas 2024 host David Tennant hails Barbenheimer as turning point for cinema

Baftas 2024 host David Tennant hailed the simultaneous releases of Barbie and Oppenheimer as a turning point for cinema.

The two films both came out in the UK on 21 January 2023, prompting the widespread use of the portmanteau to refer to the cultural phenomenon surrounding their release.

Barbie and Oppenheimer have since grossed $1.44bn and $954m respectively.

Speaking from the red carpet ahead of Sunday’s (18 February) ceremony, the Doctor Who star, 52, said: “It almost marked a return to going out... we had those very odd years when we didn’t want to be in rooms having collective experiences and cinema suffered.”