Released in movie theaters in mid-July, “Barbie” has broken box office records.
The movie has also been a hit for director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie.
What Happened: Records were set by “Barbie” with the movie well on its way to becoming the top-grossing movie of 2023 after passing the $1 billion box office figure recently.
“Barbie” posted a weekend box office of $162 million domestically, which helped power a strong weekend that included “Oppenheimer.”
Together the two movies did something pretty stunning.
The weekend with “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” became the only weekend to rank in the top 10 domestically that didn’t include a movie from the Star Wars, Marvel or Jurassic Park franchises released in the same time period.
The hit movie could help companies that were supporting the film, such as Mattel Inc MAT and Warner Bros. Discovery Inc WBD, and could also help movie theater companies with a strong performance.
Another person set to benefit from the movie’s success is Robbie, who stars as Barbie and also received producer credit for the film.
Robbie will likely make around $50 million for her role in “Barbie” based on her salary and box office bonuses, sources told Variety.
Director and co-writer Gerwig, who also directed "Little Women," will likely receive additional bonuses for her work on the movie due to the strong box office, Variety reported.
Related Link: Mattel Q2 Earnings Highlights: Barbie Foreshadows Future Movie Monetization
Why It’s Important: Through Aug. 14, “Barbie” grossed $526.4 million domestically and $1.19 billion worldwide.
The movie ranks second both domestically and worldwide in 2023, trailing only “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which has gross of $574.2 million and $1.36 billion, respectively.
According to Variety, “Barbie” is also currently the second highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. history, trailing only “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -Part 2,” which grossed $1.34 billion worldwide.
Prior to “Barbie,” Robbie was best known for roles in “Suicide Squad,” “The Wolf of Wall Street” and “I, Tonya.”
Benzinga previously shared that Robbie said she used movie earnings to pay back her mother and to pay off her mom’s mortgage.
Robbie’s mother previously borrowed against the mortgage to help her daughter out financially when she was beginning her acting career.
“She’d take money out of the house mortgage and lend me money,” Robbie said. “So I always knew, ‘Oh, I’ve gotta pay that back.’”
Photo: Shutterstock
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