Margot Robbie Was Right - Greta Gerwig's Barbie Hits $1 Billion At Worldwide Box Office
Margot Robbie told Warner Bros. Discovery executives that "Barbie" would make $1 billion at the box office, and her prediction was 100 percent correct. As documented by Variety, the Mattel blockbuster has officially accomplished that feat, proving that Robbie wasn't exaggerating. What's more impressive, though, is the fact that the film has reached this milestone after 17 days of release.
While speaking to Collider, Robbie, who plays Stereotypical Barbie in the movie, told the studio that supporting an auteur filmmaker like Greta Gerwig would pay off in a big way. She compared the situation to "Jurassic Park," noting that the dinosaur film made bank as Universal Pictures trusted Steven Spielberg's bold vision. However, Robbie also believed that she may have been overselling the box office potential of "Barbie" at the time. Now, the numbers are showing that she had every reason to believe in Gerwig and the project.
Of course, the success of "Barbie" is significant for other reasons. In addition to being a rare non-franchise movie to dominate the box office, Gerwig's existential comedy is a bona fide milestone for women directors.
Greta Gerwig proved the doubters wrong - and made history
Prior to "Barbie," Ann Boden was the only female director to have helmed a movie that grossed over $1 billion at the box office. However, "Captain Marvel" was co-directed by Ryan Fleck, meaning that Greta Gerwig is the first sole woman director to make a movie that's reached this particular milestone.
The success of "Barbie" also puts Gerwig into an exclusive club of directors. According to The New York Times, she's one of only 29 filmmakers to have the sole directing credit on a movie that's grossed $1 billion dollars. The report also states that some executives were hesitant to give Gerwig so much money to make "Barbie," but it's fair to say that she's proven those doubters wrong.
Furthermore, the success of "Barbie" means that the Mattel Cinematic Universe is probably all but guaranteed to become a reality. The toy company's film branch has unveiled plans to make a Barney the Dinosaur movie about millennial disenchantment, as well as a gritty Hot Wheels film with JJ Abrams. This box office milestone shows that there's an audience for artistic and mature takes on popular IPs, and it will be interesting to see how the company's cinematic slate develops moving forward.