There are a couple of other major milestones that “Barbie” might well pass before its theatrical run is over and done. As of right now, it stands at number 20 on the all-time worldwide chart, having recently passed Disney’s animated sensation “Frozen” ($1.284 billion). Granted, this is all unadjusted for inflation, but that’s still wildly impressive. If it can get to $1.316 billion, it will pass “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” to become the highest-grossing movie ever released by Warner Bros. It is already the studio’s biggest domestic earner of all time, having recently passed “The Dark Knight.”
Warner Bros. recently announced that “Barbie” is coming to IMAX for one week beginning on September 22, with some additional footage added in during the credits. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” has been dominating IMAX screens for weeks now, much to the detriment of other films, particularly “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.” That one-week event figures to goose this film’s total even more as it gets ready to hit VOD, signaling the end of its theatrical dominance will soon come.Â
Even against a $145 million budget, which might have at one point seemed like a lot for this movie, WB is going to make a ton of money, as are Gerwig, Ryan Gosling, and Robbie. Once the strikes are over, it is all but assured that we are going to get official word about a sequel. At which time, the trio mentioned above will all get another massive payday. Meanwhile, Mattel will surely feel emboldened to move forward with plans for a full-on cinematic universe based on its toys. If even some of those can be half as successful as this movie, Mattel is going to also make a lot of money.
“Barbie” is in theaters now and is set to arrive on VOD on September 5, 2023.