I watched ‘Barbie’ 10 times in theaters last year. This is what I miss most about our ‘Barbie’ summer

Watching “Barbie” in theaters was pure pink joy. A year after its release, this fan looks back on the phenomenon that defined last summer and what it means now.

(CNN) — If anything especially notable happened between late July and December of last year, I can’t remember it. All I know is pink. I was too busy spending my time with “Barbie.” I’ve seen the film upwards of 20 times since it premiered on July 21, 2023. Half of those viewings were in theaters with packed, enthusiastic crowds bedecked in pinks of all shades. It was sublime. Watching “Barbie” so much defined the back half of my 2023. It was a reliable escape and a consistently good time, a cultural link I shared with nearly everyone in my life and almost something like an identity I could choose myself. I’ve found no such “Barbie”-level cinematic event in 2024. And we could surely use it: This summer is decidedly bleak. The political climate is apocalyptic. It’s too hot to do almost anything other than go to the movies. Revisiting “Barbie” a year on, I realized I love the film less than the phenomenon. The summer of “Barbie” was one of my happiest, when I felt truly connected to my fellow humans. Watching the film now only makes me miss my time in Barbie Land, before everything got real. I had so badly wanted it to be good.