Barbie Set to Triumph as 2023’s Highest Grossing Film
The summer sensation “Barbie” continues its record-breaking spree, on the brink of achieving yet another milestone since its blockbuster debut on July 21.
Trailing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” by an approximate $48 million margin, director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” is poised to seize the coveted title of the highest grossing domestic film of 2023.
Barbie made a staggering $155 million during its opening weekend, and recently crossed the billion-dollar mark in global box office sales – a feat achieved by only around 50 films in history when adjusted for inflation, according to Paul Dergarabedian, Senior Media Analyst at Comscore, in conversation with CNN. Despite a slight slowdown in the “Pink Fever” over the past week, “Barbie” is projected to rake in a further $33.7 million this weekend, firmly maintaining its stronghold in theaters.
This comedy centered around the iconic doll is estimated to have amassed approximately $525 million domestically and nearly $1.2 billion worldwide. In a remarkable daily average from August 5-11, Barbie earned a remarkable $11.3 million each day, with a standalone $10 million on Friday alone. Notably, “Barbie” crossed the $500 million domestic milestone in its third week, significantly outpacing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which took over five weeks to achieve the same.
The dual release of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” playfully dubbed “Barbenheimer,” has become a pop culture phenomenon, potentially breathing new life into the struggling movie theater industry. Together, “Barbenheimer” secured its place as the fourth highest-grossing industry weekend ever recorded in North America, amassing a staggering $302 million. Unlike many top-grossing films that often rely on elaborate action sequences and special effects, the success of “Barbenheimer” lies in its unique appeal.
Dergarabedian, a seasoned observer with three decades in the field, shared his astonishment at the unprecedented impact of “Barbie” and “Barbenheimer.”
“Reflecting on the ‘Barbie’ and ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon, it’s clear that this outcome, both in terms of the opening weekend and the global theatrical run, was truly exceptional and unforeseen,” said Dergarabedian. He credits the movie’s marketing campaign as the initial indicator of its imminent box office triumph.
“The marketing campaign behind ‘Barbie’ set a series of events in motion that led to ‘Barbenheimer’ entering popular lexicon, fueled by its joint release with ‘Oppenheimer.’ This was the moment we all realized that something truly remarkable and distinct was going to propel the film to an outcome surpassing all expectations,” Dergarabedian added.
In an interview with Collider last month, Margot Robbie, the movie’s producer and star in the titular role, shared an intriguing insight from a greenlight meeting with studios.
“I might have made a billion-dollar prediction to them – perhaps an exaggeration, but we were on a mission to make a captivating film!” Robbie said.
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