Greta Gerwig
“Barbie” has made the billion mark
Greta Gerwig can celebrate several times: she just turned 40, became a mother for the second time and went down in film history.
© Copyright (c) 2020 DFree/Shutterstock. No use without permission.
“Barbie” has already grossed more than a billion US dollars worldwide. For director Greta Gerwig it is a special record.
The “Barbie” film broke the billion mark on Sunday (August 6). In its third week in cinemas, the live-action adaptation of the well-known Mattel world of dolls grossed more than one billion US dollars worldwide. That works Greta Gerwig (40) in history: She is the first director who has succeeded.
Before Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie made it in 2023
As among others Entertainment Weekly reported, in its third week of release, “Barbie” becomes the second film this year to break the billion-dollar mark worldwide. The most successful film of the year so far, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”, made it in April after four weeks. In North America alone, “Barbie” grossed $459.4 million after three weeks. The industry magazine “The Hollywood Reporter” predicted last week that production will break the billion mark by Sunday or early next week at the latest.
So now it really happened – and Greta Gerwig is the only director who was able to cross the line with a film. “TMZ” reminded that there are also colleagues like Jennifer Lee (51) and Anna Boden (43), who created such successful films as “Frozen” and “Captain Marvel”, albeit together with men. Greta Gerwig as a solo director is now playing in a “league of her own”. She has far overtaken other directors: Patty Jenkins (52), for example, took second place with “Wonder Woman” and grossed 412 billion US dollars.
According to “TMZ”, Gerwig is said to have chosen a smart move in the negotiations. Because Warner Bros. wanted to make a deal with her for a second part before the theatrical release. However, she insisted that she wait and see how the film actually performs. Now she could ask a fortune for a sequel.
Margot Robbie advertised with the billion
Incidentally, Barbie actress Margot Robbie (33), who is also involved as a producer, had predicted from the start that the film would gross a billion US dollars, even if she wasn’t quite sure. The Australian actress, who is supported by Ryan Gosling (42) as Ken in the film, had revealed in an interview with “Collider” in July. In a meeting, she emphasized that she believes film studios would be very successful if they were brave enough to combine “a great idea with a visionary director”. As an example, she named Steven Spielberg (76) and his Dino Mega success “Jurassic Park”. “And now you have Barbie and Greta Gerwig,” Robbie said. “And I think I told them that [der Film] would make a billion dollars, which I may have exaggerated, but we had to make a movie, okay?”