“Barbie”, a pink wave that has become a tsunami? The film directed by American Greta Gerwig passed the billion dollar mark at the global box office just three weekends after its release, a first for a solo director.
With a total of more than 1.03 billion dollars in global revenue reached this weekend, according to estimates on Sunday by the specialized firm Exhibitor Relations, the film even becomes the first in a century to exceed this threshold in such a short time, according to officials at film industry giant Warner Bros.
Greta Gerwig, who directed “Barbie” is an actress, screenwriter and director. She notably made a name for herself with her films “Lady Bird” (2017) or “The Girls of Doctor March” (2020) and co-wrote the screenplay for “Barbie” with Noah Baumbach, then directed it.
AFP
Three weekends after its long-awaited release, the pink fairyland “Barbie” continues to offer a breath of fresh air to cinemas, hard hit by the Covid-19 and the switch of the public to streaming services.
“Barbie” is thus only the sixth film to exceed the billion dollar mark in revenue since the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Variety.
Starring the duo Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, already iconic as Barbie and Ken, the comedy features the iconic Mattel doll, venturing all in pink alongside her awkward boyfriend Ken, in the real world, that of the flat feet and sexist attacks.
Already a cultural phenomenon, the film, which was the subject of an intense marketing campaign, led to a wave of shades of pink in the world: clothes, various accessories, roller skates, etc.
The release of “Barbie” also caused a surge in doll sales, especially in South Africa.
“The film has captured the imagination of moviegoers around the world and these results are incredibly impressive, with a global total that exceeded one billion dollars this weekend,” said Paul Dergarabedian, media analyst for the specialized company Comscore.
AFP
And this in particular, thanks to the prestigious distribution of Barbie: Margot Robbie is Barbie, Ryan Gosling is Ken, they are accompanied by America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae or Will Ferrell.
On the music side, the soundtrack is not to be outdone: with Dua Lipa, Lizzo, The Kid Laroi and a duet between Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice (with Aqua) covering the hit “Barbie girl” from 1997 by the Danish-Norwegian group , the titles have already accumulated several million streams on the Spotify platform.
In second position at the American box office, the action film “In very troubled waters” rises on Sunday, a fiction in the depths of the ocean inhabited by megalodons, fearsome giant sharks. It has already accumulated 30 million dollars in revenue for its first days in dark rooms.
Tortuous portrait of the designer of the atomic bomb, the film “Oppenheimer” by Christopher Nolan drops to third position and realizes in the weekend 28.7 million dollars in revenue, with a total since its release more than 552 million dollars in the world.
Then comes the animated film “Ninja Turtles: teenage years”, in which the famous quartet of ninja turtles returns, and continues their adventures in the basements of New York. The latter accumulates 28 million dollars for the weekend.
“The Haunted Mansion”, a Disney film recounting the adventure led by a mother and her son to find what is haunting their new property installed in the south of the United States, comes in fifth position. The movie made nearly $9 million over the weekend and racked up $42 million since its release.