In a world inundated with movie premieres and blockbuster releases, there’s one title that managed to grab the collective imagination of the world – Barbie, helmed by the inimitable Greta Gerwig.
Painted in hues of hot-pink existential comedy, the Margot Robbie-starring film has rolled out a tide of success, breaking box office records and imprinting itself as a tour-de-force in the annals of cinematic history. And now, you won’t have to leave your Mojo Dojo Casa House to revel in Barbie’s world – it’s slated for release on Warner Bros. Discovery’s streaming platform, Max, this fall.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO, David Zaslav, set tongues wagging during the company’s second-quarter earnings call when he announced the film’s forthcoming digital debut. “Barbie is really important for us,” Zaslav said, explaining the company’s commitment to a traditional theatrical window for the film before its appearance on the streaming service – firmly believing in the adage, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’, adhering to the conventional progression of a motion picture window to PVOD, and finally, streaming.
The success of the film has been nothing short of a whirlwind. It racked up a staggering $162 million domestically in its opening weekend alone, cementing Gerwig’s place in history as the director of the most successful opening weekend for a woman director. Fast forward to the film’s 14th day in theaters, and the Barbie juggernaut had already surpassed the $400 million mark in domestic box office sales, racing past recent blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Super Mario Bros Movie.
The narrative, a vivid live-action interpretation of the iconic Mattel doll universe, unwraps in the bubblegum-hued and the ostensibly perfect Barbie Land. However, Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie begins to question her worldview, triggering a series of existential events among her Barbie compatriots. The film boasts an all-star cast, including names like Ryan Gosling as Ken, Will Ferrell, Emma Mackey, Michael Cera, and many more.
The amalgamation of this unique storyline, star-studded cast, and Gerwig’s direction has set the stage for Barbie to cross a coveted mark – $1 billion. Should this happen, it would make it the fourth movie directed by a woman to cross that milestone, following in the footsteps of both Frozen films and Captain Marvel.
However, Zaslav and co. have kept fans on tenterhooks by not revealing a specific release date for the digital debut. But, if we consider the performance of Warner Bros. other films like Shazam! Fury of the Gods, appearing on Max 67 days after its theatrical release, one could hypothesize that Barbie might start gracing our screens around 90 to 100 days after its debut in theaters. This translates to a late October arrival – perfect timing for Warner Bros. to push Barbie for this year’s awards race.
For now, though, fans and critics alike are still in awe of the Barbie party that has swept the globe, and there’s no sign of it slowing down.
The neon pink, existential joyride that is Barbie has made a colossal splash in the pool of cinema, and its impending release on Max is set to create another wave of Barbie-mania.
