Barbie

Source: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures / Jaap Buitendijk

‘Barbie’

Warner Bros’ Barbie has passed the $1bn mark at the box office after just 17 days of release, making Greta Gerwig the first solo female director to do so.

According to a statement from the studio, the Margot Robbie-starrer has so far grossed $459.4m from domestic and $572.1m internationally to reach $1.03bn over the weekend.

The only other women to join the $1bn club are Jennifer Lee – who co-directed Frozen ($1.3bn) and Frozen 2 ($1.5bn) with Chris Buck – and Anna Boden, who co-directed Captain Marvel ($1.1bn) with Ryan Fleck.

Barbie has broken multiple records for Warner Bros including all-time daily, weekly and weekend highs, as well being the fastest to reach $400m domestically and $500m internationally. 

The film is the second highest-grossing title of the year behind Universal’s The Super Mario Bros Movie which currently stands at $1.4bn.

“As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution.

“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. 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.”