Barbie has achieved a remarkable milestone by emerging as the highest grossing film of 2023, raking in an impressive $1.38 billion at the global box office, surpassing the previous leader, The Super Mario Bros. Movie. This announcement came from Warner Bros. Discovery Inc., the studio behind the release of Barbie. Given that there are no other major releases expected to attract such a massive audience for the rest of the year, it is highly likely that this record will remain unchallenged. In fact, Barbie has already become the highest grossing film in Warner Bros.' century-long history.
Directed by Greta Gerwig and featuring the talented Margot Robbie in the lead role, Barbie has become a cultural phenomenon, captivating fans who have eagerly dressed in pink to experience the live-action adaptation of Mattel Inc.'s iconic fashion doll. The film received an impressive 88% approval rating on the review aggregator RottenTomatoes.com, with one critic, Brandon Collins of Medium Popcorn, hailing it as a "hilarious and thought-provoking film that made me reflect on my own biases."
Interestingly, Barbie was released on the same day as Universal's Oppenheimer, directed by Christopher Nolan. This unique scheduling resulted in a social media frenzy dubbed "Barbenheimer," as moviegoers rushed to theaters to catch both films on the same day. The overwhelming demand played a significant role in setting box office records at major theater chains like AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and Vue International.
The combined success of Barbie and Oppenheimer has contributed to an impressive revival of the summer box office, with total revenues reaching $4.07 billion, just $283 million shy of the pre-pandemic levels in 2019, as reported by Comscore Inc. data. Although Barbie secured the second-place spot at the box office this weekend with $10.6 million in sales, it was overshadowed by the $34.5 million gross of The Equalizer 3, an action film from Sony Group, making its debut.
It is worth noting that Barbie and Oppenheimer were among the last big-budget films whose actors could actively promote before the Screen Actors Guild strike began in mid-July. Due to the strike, actors have been prohibited from attending premieres and participating in press interviews to discuss projects from major Hollywood studios, which could potentially impact the attendance of other films this year.
As a consequence of the strike and the prevailing circumstances, several highly-anticipated films, including Warner Bros.' Dune: Part Two, have had their release dates pushed into the following year. The impact of these delays, coupled with the strike-related constraints on promotional activities, suggests that Barbie's impressive record as the highest grossing film of 2023 may remain unchallenged for the foreseeable future.