You can’t keep a good party down. Warner Bros. is celebrating the success of its new entry into the billion-dollar club. The studio has announced that Barbie will be screening in IMAX theaters for a limited one-week engagement beginning on September 22, according to Variety. Ironically, the Margot Robbie/Ryan Gosling film did not initially get a release on the IMAX format due to Oppenheimer making its grand run on the large screen. Additionally, new footage is said to be attached after the credits during these screenings as a treat for the fans.
Barbie director Greta Gerwig shares her excitement for the format upgrade, “We made Barbie for the big screen, so it’s a thrill to be able to bring it to IMAX, the biggest screen of all. As a special thanks to Barbie fans, we’re excited to share a little bit more of our cast and crew’s incredible work by adding special new footage we hope audiences will enjoy.”
Warner Bros. execs Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution, made a statement on Wednesday that said, “If there was one thing missing in this winning Barbie strategy, it was being able to put Greta’s singular vision on premium IMAX screens over the uber-competitive summer corridor. That Barbie continues to draw packed audiences around the world heading into its sixth weekend in release speaks to the quality of the film and the excitement audiences have for the story. We are so pleased to give them a chance to see Barbie, whether for the first or fifth time, in such an experiential format as IMAX.”
Richard Gelfond, the CEO of the IMAX corporation, also expressed his enthusiasm, “For all of us in the exhibition community, it’s been exciting to watch an original film like Barbie become an unparalleled critical and commercial success this summer. We’re thrilled to be partnering with Greta and her filmmaking team and our friends at Warner Bros. to deliver this special edition of Barbie with never-before-seen footage exclusively to Imax audiences around the world.”