“Barbie” has conquered North America, and now, the world.
Greta Gerwig’s fantasy-comedy has generated $1.36 billion at the global box office, overtaking Universal and Illumination’s animated adventure “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” ($1.35 billion globally) as the highest-grossing worldwide movie of the year.
“Barbie” has accumulated $600 million in North America and, earlier in August, passed “Mario” ($574 million) to become the biggest release of 2023 at the domestic box office as well. At the international box office, the film has grossed a staggering $760 million to date.
The very pink blockbuster has been casually crushing expectations since opening in theaters in July with $162 million, the best debut of the year. “Barbie” remained the No. 1 movie for four consecutive weekends and eventually became the highest-grossing movie directed solely by a woman. It’s currently the 14th-biggest domestic release and 15th-biggest global release in history.
With its latest milestone, “Barbie” has become Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing worldwide release of all time, eclipsing 2011’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” ($1.34 billion, not adjusted for inflation). It already surpassed Christopher Nolan’s superhero epic “The Dark Knight” ($536 million) as the studio’s biggest domestic title in 100 years.
Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated director of “Lady Bird” and “Little Women,” co-wrote the screenplay with her partner Noah Baumbach. “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, follows the popular doll and her boy toy as they leave behind the seemingly perfect world of Barbieland to discover the highs and lows of life in the real world. The cast also includes America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon, Simu Liu and Michael Cera.