Unleashing a Global Trend: Discover Why the Barbie Movie Has Resurrected an 11-Year-Old TV Show on Netflix

Summary

The success of the recent Barbie movie has caused an older Barbie series to trend on Netflix.

Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse season 1 ranked fifth on Netflix's worldwide list of top English Language TV series, attracting an audience of 1.9 million viewers. The Barbie media franchise boasts a rich background, encompassing a range of animated specials, web series, and direct-to-video movies.

The Barbie movie's remarkable success has led to the resurgence of a TV series on Netflix. Starring Margot Robbie as the iconic doll, the live-action film takes Barbie and Ken (played by Ryan Fosling) on an introspective journey into the real world. Upon its release on July 21, the movie recorded a phenomenal domestic opening weekend, earning a staggering $162 million. In its second weekend, it continued to dominate the box office with a remarkable gross of $93 million, outperforming all but six movies released this year.

Taking note of the Barbie movie's triumph, Netflix has compiled its global Top 10 English Language TV series for the week spanning July 24 to July 30. Among the impressive roster of Netflix shows like The Witcher season 3 and The Lincoln Lawyer season 2, Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse season 1 has secured the fifth spot with 1.9 million viewers and a total of 9.1 million viewing hours. Originally premiered on YouTube and the Barbie website, this animated web series ran for 75 episodes from 2012 to 2015.

The Barbie Media Franchise Extends Way Beyond the New Movie

The Barbie movie has become incredibly popular due to several factors. One of the reasons is that it is directed by the esteemed Greta Gerwig and is rated PG-13, making it enjoyable for both adults who grew up loving Barbie and children who currently love Barbie. Furthermore, this movie marks the first time the Barbie characters have been featured in a high-budget live-action blockbuster.

However, the Barbie franchise had already been well-established long before the release of the Barbie 2023 movie. Barbie's onscreen journey began in 1984 with the introduction of the game Barbie for the Commodore 64. Since then, Barbie has been featured in numerous animated specials, series, books, comics, music albums, and web series.

Barbie also appeared in 16 animated movies specifically made for video release between 2001 and 2009, including titles like Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie Fairytopia: Magic of the Rainbow. It's expected that Barbie's popularity would have influenced the success of one of her streaming projects. With the passage of time, as the movie continues to gain popularity, there is a high probability that these other movies will also benefit as an increasing number of viewers actively search for more Barbie-related content.