Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling starrer fantasy comedy-drama film Barbie has now crossed $1 billon (approximately Rs. 8,273 crore) globally in just its third weekend after its release on July 21. Taking to Instagram, the makers announced the news of the box office collections landmark with a special post which they captioned, “Here’s to our incredible Barbies and Kens from all around the world for making our Barbie dreams come true. We’re excited to share that #BarbieTheMovie has hit $1 Billion at the Global Box Office.”
According to Variety, a US-based media house, this makes director Greta Gerwig the first-ever solo female filmmaker with a billion-dollar film. Three other billion-dollar blockbusters were co-directed by women, including Frozen ($1.3 billion) and Frozen 2 ($1.45 billion) both co-directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, as well as Captain Marvel ($1.1 billion), co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, as per Variety.
Barbie hit the milestone just after 17 days of its release, becoming the fastest Warner Bros. release to join the $1 billion club. Earlier the fantasy drama film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 held that record for the studio at 19 days. It’s only the second blockbuster this year and the sixth of the pandemic era to cross $1 billion, following Spider-Man: No Way Home, Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion and Avatar: The Way of Water, reported Variety.
Barbie is directed by Greta Gerwig, and stars Margot Robbie as the famous doll and Ryan Gosling as her boyfriend Ken. As per Variety, Greta’s directorial Barbie raked in $155 million (approximately Rs. 1,282 crore) in its opening weekend, marking the biggest debut ever for a film directed by a woman. Barbie cost $145 million (approximately Rs. 1,200 crore) to produce, not including a marketing campaign that propelled the movie into the mainstream long before it landed in theatres. Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated director of Lady Bird and Little Women, co-wrote the film’s screenplay with Noah Baumbach.
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling star as the stereotypical versions of Barbie and Ken, who leave the world of Barbieland on a quest for self-discovery in the real world. The cast also includes America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Dua Lipa, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Helen Mirren, John Cena, and Will Ferrell, among others.