CHRISTIAN TOTO: Will Rude Movie Goers Crush the Barbenheimer Rebound?

It took a plastic doll and an atom bomb to end Hollywood’s pandemic hangover.

“Barbenheimer” turned July into a box office juggernaut and proved Americans had shaken free of the COVID-19 lockdowns at long last. Both “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have legs, as they say in the business, meaning the films continue to draw huge crowds well into their theatrical runs.

That’s great news for both Hollywood and the theatrical model, the latter still struggling from pandemic lockdowns and the crush of A-list material on streaming services.

There’s just one problem.

Many of the “new” moviegoers are behaving badly. They talk, snap selfies and conduct phone conversations mid-movie.

I haven’t seen anything like this in southern Colorado but you big-city experiences may differ.