Barbie is still breaking records even after seven weeks in theatres.
This weekend, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, produced by and starring Australian actress Margot Robbie, became the highest-grossing film of 2023 with over $US1.38 billion ($2.13 billion) globally.
The title was previously held by The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was released in Australia back in April.
It’s the latest in a growing list of records set by the film, which became Warner Bros. highest-grossing film of all time just last week.
It toppled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, which earned $US1,342,359,942 (not adjusted for inflation).
Back in August, Barbie passed the Barbillion milestone when it reached $US1 billion at the box office, with experts calling its relentless marketing campaign “a masterclass.”
The Barbillion milestone saw Barbie become the first billion-dollar film from a solo female director writing Greta Gerwig into the history books.
Its opening weekend also smashed records, earning Barbie the title of the biggest US opening weekend for the year with $US162 million, and the biggest opening weekend of all time for a female director.
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Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer has sailed past $US850 million globally to become the third highest-grossing film of the year.
The consistent box office figures have delivered Nolan his third highest-grossing film of all time, behind 2008′s The Dark Knight and 2012′s The Dark Knight Rises.
The continued success of both Barbie and Oppenheimer comes at a fraught time for Hollywood, with actors seven weeks into a strike for fair contracts with major entertainment companies and movie theatres bracing for a somewhat depleted autumn season as a result.
Despite the strikes, both the Venice and Toronto film festivals are currently underway, though with fewer stars making an appearance.
Director David Fincher, promoting his new film The Killer, told the Venice Film Festival he “can understand both sides” of the joint actors and writers’ strike.
“I don’t know what it says about the industry. I’m very sad, obviously I sit in the middle of both parties,” he said, as reported in Variety.
“This movie was made during the pandemic and I never want to make a movie with a visor again.
(ABC)
