'Barbie' dazzles the global box office with $337M opening bow, breaks records in PH

 

Barbie fever took over the box office as moviegoers, some proudly donned in their brightest pinks, flocked to cinemas so they wouldn’t miss catching one of the year’s most hotly anticipated movies on its opening weekend.  

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie arrived in theaters globally to a record-shattering $337 million worldwide, taking in $182 million in international markets and $155 million in the US, and counting. The announcement was made by Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, and Andrew Cripps, President of International Distribution, for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Watch the “Greta’s Vision” for “Barbie” in this featurette

Swept in on a wave of social memes and sell-out shows, Barbie sailed into international theaters beginning Wednesday July 19, and took the #1 spot in 55 markets, including the Philippines where it also broke records. The Margot Robbie-Ryan Gosling starrer now holds the local record for the biggest Warner Bros. opening weekend for the year and during the COVID era, and the biggest opening weekend locally for director Gerwig and Gosling, who plays Ken. 

Propelled by massive anticipation and widespread critical praise, “Barbie” has scored well with audiences, earning an A audience score and a 90% audience rating from Rotten Tomatoes. The Robbie-led film about the classic doll was a hit with critics as well, with a 90% certified fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. 

“The massive, overwhelming response we’ve seen out there proves what we’ve known from the beginning: that ‘Barbie’ is not only an incredibly special film, but clearly the theatrical event of the summer, if not the year,” said Warner Brothers’ Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution.

“Greta, Margot, Ryan and the entire Barbie team have delivered exactly the kind of fun, transporting theatrical experience that audiences everywhere have been craving, as they continue to demonstrate in numbers we haven’t seen since before the pandemic. We couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of it, and congratulate everyone involved in this brilliant labor of love.”

Added Andrew Cripps, President of International Distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures: “The incredible results we’ve seen across every releasing market is a testament to not only Greta’s singular vision but the cross-generational impact of Mattel’s iconic creation all over the world. Everything about this film – from its cotton candy-pink wit to the warm-hearted optimism at its core – is engaging with people of all ages in a powerful way, as the long lines at theaters and massive excitement on social media continue to attest. Greta Gerwig and her remarkable cast and crew have delivered absolutely the right film at the right time, and with word-of-mouth and repeat business this strong, that momentum is likely to continue well into the year.”  

Barbie is now showing exclusively in cinemas.  Read my review here.