It’s official Barbie Nation, the Greta Gerwig flick has become the all-time highest-grossing film directed by a solo woman.
Deadline reported that the pink movie is likely to hit the billion mark over the weekend.
But, just before it reaches that incredible milestone, it has achieved another record.
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Barbie has just reached USD $823.9 million at the global box office, which pulls it in front of 2017's Wonder Woman, which raked in USD $822.9 million , making it the biggest ever female solo directed film.
Barbie also holds numerous other records, including having the biggest box office opening weekend of the year after it took home $155 million despite having a budget of $145 million.
It has also seen the biggest opening for a movie about a toy, the biggest opening ever for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, and the biggest opening weekend for a film that isn't a sequel, remake, or superhero movie.
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“One of the really exciting things about Barbie is that it’s a big, pink, feminine movie, and it’s doing these huge numbers,” said Kylie Eaton, co-chair of the Alliance of Woman Directors, as per the Wall Street Journal.
Michael O’Leary, president and CEO of the National Association of Theatre Owners, said it has ‘reawakened’ the public's interest in going to the movies again, as numbers have soared the way they did pre-pandemic.
He added people are now looking forward to ‘sitting in a theatre with world-class projection and sound systems, having an immersive experience alongside other people’, as per CNN.
He added: “At their core, consumers want to go see a compelling story, they want to be entertained.
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“If stories resonate with people… they tell other people.”
Many have attributed the film’s marketing strategy as part of its success.
I mean, I’m assuming we all saw those hot pink Barbie filters consuming our social media feeds.
Josh Goldstine, the president of worldwide marketing at Warner Bros, spoke to The Guardian about the rise of Barbie Mania and how they wanted to subvert audience expectations.
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“We screened the trailer before a 3D sci-fi movie, Avatar. We didn’t want to show up as a sweet little girl Barbie movie. We wanted to show up as a bold event that is going to deliver some shock and awe. We wanted to be true to what Greta’s vision for the movie was,” he said.
He added that part of the film’s fascination also spoke to the culture.
“Everyone started wearing pink. All these outside brands came and wanted to partner with us. But that wasn’t because we spent so much more than a normal movie,” he continued.
Featured Image Credit: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage. Warner Bros. PicturesTopics: News, Barbie, TV and Film