Film in the age of memes: How internet culture shapes fandom

When Barbie and Oppenheimer were simultaneously released on the same weekend in July 2023, no one could have anticipated the ensuing cultural wildfire.

What began as an oddball juxtaposition between a neon-pink plastic dream world and a sombre atomic biopic morphed into a viral phenomenon called the Barbenheimer moment. Suddenly, memes were not merely the accompaniment to the marketing campaign—they were the campaign.

This odd but effective pairing pulled millions to theatres, often in full costume or at least with double-feature tickets. However, the Barbenheimer movement was not simply a fluke—it was the natural outcome of an internet age whereby a meme can be the difference between a critical flop, breathing new life into a box office failure long after the credits roll, or creating a real connection between users, blurring the lines between sincerity and irony. Welcome to the age of movie fandom shaped by memes.

Meme first, movie second

These days, a film's likely cultural impact will often be better predicted by its memorability—probably more about the latter than the actual letter (script), cast, and/or box office take—than many other factors combined.

Some films will be released to generally mediocre or bad reviews or release patterns but somehow become films that generate a large second reception as memes.

The Minecraft Movie is a contemporary, salient example of this. Critics largely chimed in with bad to slightly better than mediocre reviews—to the point where many rejected it outright due to the silly, chaotic narrative and unremarkable writing—yet the film is somehow rolling in revenue and buzz that is propelling it toward unhallowed box office glory.

At the time of this research, the film is hovering around the $500 million mark, driven by popular culture memes, which are ramping up rather than down.

The "Chicken Jockey" meme and others have turned it into an ironic pop cultural spectacle that drives viewers to clamour in part for being a part of a larger shared joke going viral online.

While critics may consider it a train wreck, meme culture considers it a mountain—and that mountain will possibly help make Minecraft the first video game movie to cross a billion dollars at the global Box Office.

Irony as fandom

Previously, fandoms formed slowly over time - through midnight screenings, word of mouth, and niche online fandom communities. Today, meme culture accelerates this process. Irony-watch trends (where someone embraces a bad or absurd movie) are a new fandom landscape. 

Consider Morbius.

This superhero movie, led by Jared Leto, received negative reviews but quickly became a viral punchline. "It's Morbin's time," a line that was not even uttered in the film went viral.

Memes turned Morbius not only into a joke but a phenomenon. Sony thought the ironic hype was real and released it in theatres, where it flopped again.

The Minecraft Movie exemplifies what happens when meme culture hits optimally. It doesn't matter whether or not the film is 'good.' It just matters whether or not it becomes a funny topic to talk about. Suppose it inspires content, video clips, fan edits, and other chaos online. In that case, it becomes a must-see, whether ironically or not.

Studios are paying attention

Film studios are beginning to embrace the messiness. Marketing teams are making trailers and posters that are meme-able. The Barbie movie leaned into meme culture through interactive posters, frivolous branding, and a self-aware online persona.

The result was that the film became successful through its multitude of memes. The fans created countless combinations of mashups, fan cams, outfit inspiration videos, and ironic edits. The memes not only supported the film but also became a part of it!

Even horror films are getting involved in this chaos.

The M3GAN trailer featured a creepy robot doll dancing like those you see on TikTok. It was then remix-ready to drive a breakout online remix before the film even screened. Regarding Minecraft, it's hard to decipher where the official marketing ends and the meme chaos begins. But it is working. 

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