Director Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' Shatters Records, Raking in $1 Billion at Box Office and Making History

Barbie, the doll comedy starring Margot Robbie and directed by Greta Gerwig, has surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office. In its third weekend, the film earned an estimated $53 million domestically, bringing its worldwide box office total to $1.03 billion. Gerwig, at the age of 40, becomes the first solo female director to join the billion-dollar director club with a live action movie. (Anna Boden, who co-directed Captain Marvel with Ryan Fleck, is the only other woman to have directed a film to surpass $1 billion out of the 53 movies that have achieved this milestone).

The film features Robbie, 33, portraying Barbie, who begins to have unsettling thoughts about mortality and having flat feet. In an effort to confront her existential fears, she embarks on a journey out of Barbieland to locate the individual playing with her in the real world.

Robbie's production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, is responsible for creating this Mattel film. It is worth noting that prior to securing the role, the star had confidently assured Warner Bros. about the movie's potential success at the box office.

Recalling her pitch at the green-light meeting, she emphasized the success studios have achieved by pairing bold concepts with visionary directors during a pre-SAG-AFTRA strike interview with Collider in July. Providing multiple examples such as the collaboration between dinosaurs and Steven Spielberg, she highlighted the immense profitability that these ventures have brought to the studios over the years. In reference to her own project, she confidently stated, "And now you've got Barbie and Greta Gerwig." Concluding her pitch, she expressed her belief that the film had the potential to generate billions, acknowledging that she may have been slightly optimistic but emphasizing the urgency in bringing the movie to life.

Barbie is projected to be one of the top-earning films this year, coming in second only to The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The latter, released in April and earned a staggering $1.35 billion at the global box office.

Gerwig was not originally scheduled to direct Barbie. However, after co-writing the script with Noah Baumbach, the filmmaker behind Little Women realized that she had to be the one in charge of the film. Starring alongside Gerwig are Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and Will Ferrell.

"I was originally supposed to co-write it with Noah, but after we finished the script, I felt a strong desire to direct it. It became so apparent to me: If they were not interested in producing that [version], then there was no need for me to proceed," Gerwig shared with the New York Times last month.

She further expressed, "Margot, being the producer and lead actress, was the first one to express a willingness to do it her way. And as we continued to bring on more collaborators and assemble the cast, we discovered a significant number of individuals who were enthusiastic about embarking on this, pardon the pun, unconventional journey."

Barbie has exceeded expectations, and so has her competitor Oppenheimer on opening day. Although the latter half of the Barbenheimer phenomenon has not yet reached the billion-dollar mark, director Christopher Nolan's atomic bomb drama has surpassed $550 million in the global box office.