Barbie has solidified its position as the hit movie of the summer after surpassing the $1 billion mark over the weekend 17 days after its release—placing it among some of the most successful movie franchises of all time.
The hit comedy, which stars Margot Robbie in the titular role, opposite Ryan Gosling as Ken, was released on July 21 to much fanfare. Bringing Mattel’s enduringly popular doll to life, the Greta Gerwig-directed movie earned $162 million domestically, and more than $356 million internationally, on its opening weekend.
Over the weekend, the pink-hued project’s earnings were boosted to a total of $459 million in North America and $572 million internationally, comfortably taking it over the $1 billion mark. Gerwig has the best opening weekend for a film with a female director and is also the first solo female filmmaker to join the billion-dollar club.
Barbie is now the second most successful film at the global box office this year, behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which has earned a total of $1.3 billion from North American and international receipts since its April release, per Box Office Mojo.
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Reacting to the movie’s most recent milestone, Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.’ president of domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, the studio’s president of international distribution, released a joint statement in which they said Barbie had “blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water.”
“This is a watershed moment for Barbie, and no one but Greta Gerwig could have brought this cross-generational icon and her world to life in such a funny, emotional and entertaining story, one that is resonating with all four quadrants of moviegoers and literally turning the entire world pink,” the executives said in the statement, per Variety. “Long lines and repeat viewings prove that movies are back in a big, big way, and we look forward to seeing just how far Barbie can go in the real world.”
While Barbie has enjoyed phenomenal success at the box office in a short span of time, it’s actually far from the quickest to achieve the feat. Below is a list of the films that crossed the threshold the earliest after their release, in descending order, per figures collated from Variety and Deadline.
Quickest Over the $1 Billion Line
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) — 19 days
The Fate of the Furious (2017) — 18 days
Avatar (2009) — 17 days
Barbie (2023) — 17 days
Furious 7 (2015) — 17 days
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) — 14 days
Jurassic World (2015) — 13 days
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) — 12 days
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) — 12 days
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — 11 days
Avengers: Endgame (2019) — 5 days
While Barbie has proved popular with audiences, some have spoken out against the movie’s themes, including journalist Piers Morgan and political commentator Ben Shapiro.
“If I made a movie mocking women as useless dunderheads, constantly attacking ‘the matriarchy,’ and depicting all things feminist as toxic bulls***, I wouldn’t just be canceled, I’d be executed,” Morgan wrote in his columns for the New York Post and British newspaper The Sun after seeing the Barbie movie.
For his part, Shapiro went as far as to burn Barbie and Ken dolls last month, after seeing the movie the night before. Days later, he claimed he had received death threats for his stunt.
Meanwhile, Shane Vaughn, a pastor who is a supporter of the conservative Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, recently warned that the film will turn people’s daughters “into the lesbians.”
“We’re living in a world that hates men, especially white men, and they hate patriarchy, they hate the head of the house. It’s toxic feminism…and this is what the Barbie movie promotes,” Vaughn said in a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, by RightWingWatch. “The hatred of men, turning men into boy toys, emasculating men, while they rule.”
“There is a spirit that if you take your daughters or your granddaughters to watch this movie, you are turning them into the lesbians,” Vaughn added.
Newsweek has contacted a representative of Warner Bros. via email for comment.
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