Greta Gerwig can celebrate her recent success as “Barbie” is poised to surpass $1 billion in global ticket sales, setting a new record for female directors. The film, which Gerwig directed and co-wrote, has earned an additional $53 million from North American locations just this weekend, solidifying its top position for three consecutive weeks. It is expected to reach the $1 billion milestone by the end of the day.
“Barbie” now holds the distinction of being the largest grossing film directed by a woman, surpassing the previous record set by Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” which earned $821.8 million globally. However, it is worth noting that three films co-directed by women still hold higher box office totals than “Barbie,” including “Frozen” ($1.3 billion) and its sequel “Frozen 2” ($1.45 billion), both co-directed by Jennifer Lee, and “Captain Marvel” ($1.1 billion), co-directed by Anna Boden. Nevertheless, “Barbie” has surpassed the domestic box office record for live-action films directed by women, outperforming “Captain Marvel” with $459.4 million compared to $426.8 million.
This weekend saw new competition from the animated film “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and the Jason Statham-led shark sequel “Meg 2: The Trench,” both vying for the second-place spot alongside Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which is currently in its third week. “Meg 2” managed to secure second place, despite negative reviews, with a $30 million opening weekend. Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer” earned $28.7 million, bringing its domestic total to $228.6 million. The biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, portrayed by Cillian Murphy, has also claimed the title of the highest-grossing R-rated film of the year and the sixth highest-grossing film overall, surpassing “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.”
In just three weeks, “Oppenheimer” has reached a global total of $552.9 million, surpassing Nolan’s previous film “Dunkirk,” which earned $527 million in 2017. It now sits among the top-grossing biographies and is the highest-grossing World War II film of all time. Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” closely followed in fourth place, earning an estimated $28 million since its release on Wednesday. The film has been well-received by critics and audiences, boasting a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The success of “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” and even the unexpected hit “Sound of Freedom,” which addresses the issue of human trafficking, has revitalized the box office and exceeded expectations, compensating for some underperforming summer films. However, the industry’s triumph may be short-lived if the ongoing strike involving actors and writers is not resolved soon. As a result, the fall release calendar has already seen some adjustments, with studios opting to delay releases and slowly promote films instead.
Sony, for example, will release its PlayStation-inspired true story “Gran Turismo” in a staggered manner, premiering in select theaters for two weeks before expanding to a wider release. This strategy aims to compensate for the absence of movie stars who typically assist in promoting films. Despite these uncertainties, the audience has demonstrated its love for the movie theater experience, contributing to the success of recent releases.
In summary, “Barbie” directed by Greta Gerwig is on track to cross $1 billion in global ticket sales, surpassing the previous record held by “Wonder Woman” directed by Patty Jenkins. The film continues to dominate the box office, with strong competition from new releases such as “Meg 2: The Trench” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.” Additionally, “Oppenheimer” has become the highest-grossing R-rated film of the year and a box office hit globally. Despite these achievements, the ongoing strike involving actors and writers threatens to disrupt future releases and the overall momentum of the film industry.
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