Barbie Box Office Mania: Shatters Records with Unprecedented Opening, Defying Superhero Movies, Sequels, and Remakes!

Summary

This blockbuster film has shattered multiple records, including the title for the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman and the biggest opening for a toy-based film.

With limited competition and the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike reducing publicity opportunities for other films, Barbie stands a strong chance of entering the exclusive $1 billion club at the global box office.

Barbie's opening weekend earnings have exceeded expectations, shattering records. The movie, which premiered on July 21, boasts an acclaimed team including director Greta Gerwig, a three-time Oscar nominee, and screenwriter Noah Baumbach. The cast is led by the talented Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, with an array of other talented actors portraying various versions of the iconic characters, such as Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, and Kingsley Ben-Adir.

Per Deadline, the projected domestic opening weekend box office for Barbie is expected to reach between $155 and $160 million. Regardless of its placement within this range, it will still surpass The Super Mario Bros. Movie's $146.3 million opening earnings, making it the highest-grossing opening weekend of 2023. Additionally, Barbie has shattered several records, notably achieving the highest opening weekend for a non-sequel, non-remake, and non-superhero movie.

Could Barbie Join The $1 Billion Club?

The Barbie movie has shattered numerous records, including the largest opening for a film directed by a woman, the highest grossing movie based on a toy, and the biggest box office success for both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. With the Oppenheimer box office and other films currently screening, this achievement has also resulted in the fourth-highest domestic box office weekend ever, trailing only Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening weekends.

The remaining question is how much further Barbie can progress beyond this weekend. At present, its prospects appear exceptionally promising, particularly given the absence of numerous publicity opportunities for upcoming films due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, which revolves around actors advocating for fair wages. The potential competition from Haunted Mansion, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and The Meg 2 is likely to be greatly diminished as a result, providing ample opportunity for Barbie to continue its ascent.

Barbie may very well join the illustrious $1 billion club in a short period of time. Thus far this year, the only film to surpass this milestone at the global box office is Super Mario. Nonetheless, given that Barbie's opening numbers are even higher than Mario's, this could indicate that its path towards reaching that figure is already established, provided its international earnings can match its domestic success.

Source: Deadline