Today, it’s been confirmed that Barbie has become the biggest film of 2023 at the domestic box office, capping off the most unexpected performance seen since the film it toppled, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. With Wednesday’s takings, Greta Gerwig‘s film has overtaken the $574.2 million earned domestically by the Nintendo movie, which was distributed by Universal and Illumination, and starred Chris Pratt, to become the highest-grossing film of the year to date with $575.4 million.
In Barbie, Margot Robbie portrays the iconic doll living what appears to be an idyllic life with her friends, Barbie, Barbie, Barbie, Midge and Allan. However, her world is turned upside down when she awakens one day to the realisation that she must venture into the human world to seek answers. Accompanying her on this journey is her friend, and no more than that, Ken, played by Ryan Gosling. Their visit to California exposes them to a different set of rules compared to Barbie Land, leading them down distinct paths of discovery. Along the way, the film explores themes such as patriarchy, aging, and the consequences of living in a divided world. Gerwig’s latest project combines musical numbers with a sense of existential unease. Barbie has already amassed an impressive $1.286 billion in global box office earnings.
The last time Warner Bros. topped the domestic box office was 12 years ago, following the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, which amassed $381 million upon its release. Warner has the chance to bolster its box office further this year, as it has still has three big budget films with A-list stars and high audience awareness still to come out, in the form of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom which will star Jason Momoa, as well as Dune Part Two (although this may be delayed until 2024) and Wonka, both of which will feature Timothée Chalamet, who is joined by a vast ensemble cast for the former in the shape of Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Javier Bardem and Stellan Skarsgård.
How the Numbers Compare
The Super Mario Bros Movie took 138 days to reach a total of $574.2 million, whereas last year’s top domestic film, Top.Gun: Maverick, achieved that milestone in just 40 days. Barbie, however, accomplished this feat in an even shorter time frame, only 34 days. As of Monday, Barbie, which also happens to be the highest-grossing film ever to be directed by a woman, had grossed $572.8 million on Tuesday, virtually guaranteeing it the number one slot by the end of Wednesday.
Top Gun: Maverick, on the other hand, took 47 days to hit the $600 million mark, trailing behind Barbie. Barbie reached the $500 million domestic threshold in just 22 days, outpacing Top Gun, which took 30 days to achieve the same milestone. The Super Mario Bros Movie needed 31 days to cross the half-billion-dollar mark in the U.S. and Canada.
During its fifth weekend, Barbie earned an impressive $21 million, surpassing the $18.55 million garnered by Super Mario Bros during its fifth weekend. However, it still fell short of Top Gun, which raked in $29.6 million at the same point in its release. In its upcoming sixth weekend, Barbie is anticipated to generate between $12 million and $13 million.
via Collider