The promo tour for Barbie was one wild rollercoaster and it set the stage for the film’s enormous box office success. The tale of Mattel’s iconic doll captivated audiences and earned $337 million during its opening weekend, setting several records along the way.
Following its highly-anticipated premiere on July 21, Barbie exceeded everyone’s box office projections and scored an epic $337 million global opening. It earned $155 million in North America and an additional $182 million in other territories during its opening weekend.
Greta Gerwig’s latest directorial effort set several major records with these impressive numbers. In addition to scoring the highest debut for a film in 2023, Barbie also had the highest-grossing weekend for a female-directed film and the highest-grossing weekend for a non-sequel, non-remake, and non-superhero movie.
Barbie’s numbers are quite impressive given its tough competition in the theaters this weekend. Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer premiered on the same day, and the tonal difference between the two films inspired the Barbenheimer trend. This viral phenomenon helped both films attract a larger audience, with Oppenheimer grossing $174 million worldwide on its opening.
Barbie is the first live-action take on Mattel’s beloved doll, and it shows its titular heroine played by Margot Robbie embark on the journey of self-discovery in the real world. The film also stars Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Will Ferrell, and Ariana Greenblatt.
