Barbie director Greta Gerwig has just made box office history.
Per Variety, Barbie‘s $162 million opening weekend is now the largest debut ever for a film directed or co-directed by a woman. The previous titleholder was 2019’s Captain Marvel ($153 million), which was co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. Wonder Woman held the record for best opening for a film solely directed by a woman with the Patty Jenkins-helmed superhero feature earning $103 million back in 2017. Barbie has also broken several other box office records, including the biggest opening weekend of 2023, beating The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($146 million).
Barbie follows Margot Robbie’s titular doll as she is expelled from Barbieland for not being perfect enough, leading her to set off on an adventure in the real world with Ryan Gosling’s Ken in tow. The film also stars several well-known actors as alternative versions of the iconic dolls, such as Issa Rae as President Barbie, Alexandra Shipp as Writer Barbie, Emma Mackey as Physicist Barbie and Dua Lipa as Mermaid Barbie, with Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa and John, among others, playing different variations of Ken.
What’s Next for Greta Gerwig?
Following Barbie‘s massive critical and commercial success, Gerwig will write and direct two Chronicles of Narnia films for Netflix. The streaming company acquired the film and television rights to the iconic property in 2018. In a recent interview, Gerwig admitted that she hasn’t “really started wrapping my arms around” the franchise just yet. “But I’m properly scared of it, which feels like a good place to start,” she added. “I think when I’m scared, it’s always a good sign. Maybe when I stop being scared, it’ll be like, ‘Okay. Maybe I shouldn’t do that one.’ No, I’m terrified of it. It’s extraordinary. And so we’ll see, I don’t know.”
Captain Marvel Has a Chance to Reclaim Box Office Record
While Gerwig and Barbie have only just claimed the title of the best opening weekend for a film directed by a woman, their reign may be short-lived. The Captain Marvel sequel, The Marvels, is opening in theaters this November and is directed by Nia DaCosta, the female filmmaker behind Candyman (2021). This means that there is a chance Captain Marvel could reclaim the box office throne from Barbie as long as The Marvels can open to higher than $162 million domestically. The Marvel Cinematic Universe sequel stars Brie Larson, Iman Vellani and Teyonah Parris, reprising their respective roles from previous Marvel media as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel, Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel and Monica Rambeau/Photon, respectively.
Barbie is currently playing in theaters.
Source: Variety