C’mon, Barbie! Let’s go party! Greta Gerwig’s existential comedy Barbie is making history after becoming the highest-grossing Warner Bros. film at the global box office! Say farewell to the top spot, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. There’s a new champion at the pinnacle of the chart!
Today’s news is another win for Barbie after the film inspired by the classic toy line surpassed Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight as WB’s biggest movie in the studio’s history in North America. Before leaving Batman in the dust, Barbie pounced on Illumination and Universal’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, becoming the top-grossing title of 2023 in North America. If Barbie remains on track – and there’s no reason to think it won’t – it could become the world’s top-earning film of the year. With enough time, Barbie could overtake Disney’s Frozen II ($1.43B) as the biggest movie of all time from a female director.
“Reaching this outstanding achievement is a reminder of the power of moviegoers – from countries in every corner of the globe – coming together to further the celebration of an iconic character that has entertained us for so many decades,” Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy remarked.
Wow! I bet Warner Bros. is licking its lips at the thought of Barbie arriving on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD in the coming weeks. I remember thinking Barbie would be a hit before it came out, but I could not have anticipated how massive the film is overall!
“After being expelled from Barbieland for being a less-than-perfect doll, Barbie sets off to the real world to find true happiness,” the official synopsis reads.
The Barbie cast includes many of Hollywood’s heavy hitters and fresh faces, including Margot Robbie (The Suicide Squad) and Ryan Gosling (La La Land) as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera (End of Watch), Kate McKinnon (The Spy Who Dumped Me), Michael Cera (Arrested Development), Ariana Greenblatt (Borderlands), Issa Rae (Insecure), Thea Perlman (Matilda), and Will Ferrell (Elf). The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne (Little Women), Emma Mackey (Sex Education), Nari Nef (Transparent), Alexandra Shipp (the X-Men films), Kingsley Ben-Adir (Secret Invasion), Simu Liu (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Ncuiti Gatwa (Doctor Who), Scott Evans (Grace and Frankie), Jamie Demetriou (Cruella), Connor Swindells (Emma), Sharon Rooney (Dumbo), Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton), Ritu Arya (The Umbrella Academy), Dua Lipa, and Helen Mirren (The Queen).
Greta Gerwig directs Barbie from a screenplay she wrote with Noah Baumbach, based on Mattel’s rich history with the Barbie toy brand. The film’s producers are Oscar nominee David Heyman (Marriage Story, Gravity), Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Robbie Brenner, with Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Ynon Kreiz, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich, and Cate Adams serving as executive producers.
What do you think of Barbie‘s success? Have you contributed to the film’s coffers? Let us know in the comments below.