The ‘Barbie’ film has achieved a historic milestone by reaching $1 billion in global ticket sales, marking the first time for women directors. In just 17 days since its release, Barbie hit the billion-dollar mark.
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA | NOW THEN DIGITAL — In a groundbreaking achievement for women directors, the global ticket sales for ‘Barbie’ have surged past the $1 billion mark, setting an unprecedented record.
Within a mere 17 days since its release, the film ‘Barbie’ has achieved this remarkable milestone.
Barbie’s achievement is even more remarkable, as only five other films have surpassed the billion-dollar mark since the pandemic began, including The Super Mario Brothers Movie, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, and the Avatar sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water.
Greta Gerwig’s Film Breaks New Ground
Greta Gerwig’s acclaimed film has notched up over $1 billion (€910.6 million) in worldwide ticket sales, shattering the previous record held by Patty Jenkins, who directed ‘Wonder Woman’.
Impressive Weekend Box Office Performance
Under Gerwig’s direction and co-writing, ‘Barbie’ raked in an additional $53 million (€45.5 million) from 4,178 North American venues over the weekend, alongside $74 million (€67.4 million) internationally. This propelled its global earnings to $1.03 billion, as per studio estimates on Sunday.
Continued Dominance at the Box Office
Led and produced by Margot Robbie, the film has dominated the box office for three consecutive weeks, with no signs of slowing down.
It has surpassed the $400 million threshold domestically and crossed the $500 million mark internationally in a quicker timeframe than any other studio release, even surpassing the speedy achievements of the Harry Potter franchise.
Studio Distribution Chiefs Amazed
Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, who oversee the studio’s domestic and international distribution, expressed their astonishment, stating, “As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but ‘Barbillion’ has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water.”
“As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water,” said Jeff Goldstein and Andrew Cripps, who oversee domestic and international distribution for the studio, in a joint statement.
Barbie Overtakes Wonder Woman
‘Barbie’ now reigns as the highest-grossing film directed by a single woman in modern box office history, surpassing the global total of $821.8 million set by ‘Wonder Woman’.
Surpassing Captain Marvel in the US
While three co-directed films by women remain ahead of ‘Barbie’ in terms of earnings – ‘Frozen’ ($1.3 billion), ‘Frozen 2’ ($1.45 billion), and ‘Captain Marvel’ ($1.1 billion) – ‘Barbie’ has overtaken ‘Captain Marvel’ in the US, boasting $459.4 million compared to $426.8 million.
This achievement also claims the North American record for live-action films directed by women.
Recognition for Gerwig’s Brilliance
Warner Bros. co-chairs and CEOs, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, lauded Gerwig, asserting that the milestone is a testament to her brilliance and dedication in delivering a movie that caters to Barbie fans of all ages.
‘Barbillion’ Amid the Pandemic
Achieving the “Barbillion” benchmark becomes even more significant as only five other films have attained this feat since the pandemic, including ‘The Super Mario Brothers Movie’, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Jurassic World Dominion’, and the ‘Avatar’ sequel, ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’.
Double Feature Trend with ‘Oppenheimer’
Interestingly, moviegoers have been pairing a viewing of ‘Barbie’ with Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’, resulting in a double-bill termed ‘Barbenheimer’. Nolan’s film also marked a milestone by crossing the $500 million global mark in three weeks.
Its current worldwide tally stands at $552.9 million, solidifying its place among the highest-grossing biographical films and the biggest World War II movie in history.
Editor’s Note: If you come across any inaccurate or outdated content, kindly reach out to us at press@nowthendigital.com for immediate assistance.
