The world has been seeing pink these last three weeks as Barbie has been sweeping the conversation at theatres. Over the weekend, the blockbuster film crossed $1 billion at the global box office.
The film debuted in theatres on July 21st. Directed by Greta Gerwig, the film became part of the internet viral sensation ‘Barbenheimer’, a fan-made double feature event. Paired with the theatrical release of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, audiences worldwide flocked to theatres to see Barbie.
Barbie has been critically acclaimed since its launch. By all accounts, the film has been dominating the conversation in and outside of theatres. According to CNN, it now sits at $1.03 billion at the global box office.
Due to its reception, Gerwig is now the first solo female director attached to a billion-dollar film. Owned by Warner Bros., Barbie is now amongst the ~50 films in history (accounting for inflation) to have crossed the billion-dollar milestone.
Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore says, “I’ve been in this game for 30 years and the Barbie and Barbenheimer phenomenon is as unprecedented as it was unpredictable.”.
According to Box Office Mojo, the film has been the number one release in the United Kingdom, Mexico and Australia every weekend since its release nearly three weeks ago. It’s been able to outpace Oppenheimer, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and other summer blockbusters.
Barbie stars Margot Robbie as the titular character. The live-action film focuses on the character experiencing an existential crisis, leading her and Ken (played by Ryan Gosling) on a journey of self-discovery. The film also stars America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and Will Ferrell.
As of now, Barbie doesn’t have a confirmed release date for digital distribution. Once it hits streaming services, Barbie is expected to land on Crave as part of its ongoing partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery.
