HOLLYWOOD’s pink wave has yet to crest as Warner Bros.’ Barbie dominated for a third straight weekend in North American theaters, pushing the film’s global haul past $1 billion in a first for a solo woman director, industry watcher Exhibitor Relations said Sunday.
The Greta Gerwig-directed blockbuster has tapped into a cultural zeitgeist: not only did it make history by hitting the billion-dollar box office milestone, but it also did so faster than any film — including those directed by men — in Warner Bros.’ 100-year history, executives there said.
The film, which earlier scored the biggest opening weekend of the year, “has captured the imagination of moviegoers around the world and the results are incredibly impressive,” analyst Paul Dergarabedian of Comscore said.
Starring Margot Robbie as iconic doll Barbie and Ryan Gosling as boyfriend Ken, the movie earned a projected $53 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period, for a domestic total of $459 million and a whopping $1.03 billion worldwide.
Co-written by Gerwig and her partner Noah Baumbach, it follows Barbie as she contends with her woman-led, pink-plastered fantasy land becoming infected with real-world problems, in a comic self-aware commentary on the dolls’ decades-old cultural significance.
A supporting cast including Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, and America Ferrera add even more star power to the film, while its soundtrack includes new songs by chart toppers Dua Lipa, Lizzo, and Nicki Minaj – as well as a surprise hit in “I’m Just Ken,” the power ballad sung in the film by Gosling.
Barbie is only the sixth film to surpass $1 billion at the box office since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Variety.
Meanwhile, falling to third place was Universal’s Oppenheimer, the dark historical drama whose opening the same week as Barbie sparked the massive “Barbenheimer” social media trend.
It was bumped by Warner Bros. newcomer Meg 2: The Trench, an action sequel in which Jason Statham tries to survive attacks by gargantuan prehistoric sharks.
Meg 2 pulled in $30 million for the weekend, while Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer earned $28.7 million to push its global total to $552 million.
Fourth place for the weekend went to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the latest in the franchise about a team of reptilian heroes in a half-shell. The Paramount animated comedy, featuring the voices of Jackie Chan and Post Malone, brought in $28 million.
Disney release Haunted Mansion slid two spots to fifth, with the lavishly produced kid-centric film – starring LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, and Owen Wilson – earning $8.9 million.