‘Barbie’ Emerges as Top-Earning Domestic Film of 2023

The partnership between director Greta Gerwig, Mattel, and Warner Bros. Discovery has proven to be a major success, as their film has now crossed the $575.4 million mark at the domestic box office as of Wednesday. This achievement has propelled the movie to secure the position of the highest-earning film of the year in North America. This accomplishment is particularly noteworthy as the film, inspired by the beloved doll, has outperformed Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which had previously held the top spot with its earnings of $574 million.

“Barbie” is steadily approaching the coveted title of the highest-earning global release of the year as well. With a worldwide total of $1.3 billion, it’s coming close to surpassing the $1.35 billion amassed by “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” since its debut in April. Notably, these two films stand as the sole contenders to have crossed the remarkable $1 billion milestone in earnings this year.

Amid a landscape where audiences are showing a clear preference for original content over superhero movies and franchise sequels, both “Barbie” and “Super Mario” have achieved remarkable success.

“Barbie” embarked on its groundbreaking journey at the box office in July, commencing with an impressive $162 million debut – the most substantial of the year. This launch not only marked the film’s entry into the record books but also established it as the top-opening movie directed by a woman. As the journey continued, “Barbie” further solidified its place in history by becoming the highest-grossing film solely helmed by a female director.

Significantly, “Barbie” retained its dominant position at the box office for four consecutive weekends, a remarkable feat. The film’s momentum is anticipated to continue propelling ticket sales throughout the remaining summer months and well into the autumn season.

Since its premiere, the movie has consistently witnessed weekend box office declines of less than 43%, even more impressively marked by the last two weekends experiencing only a 36% average downturn from the preceding weekends. Ordinarily, prominent films tend to exhibit declines closer to 60% each weekend post their initial release. Given the scarcity of significant film releases in the upcoming weeks, “Barbie” is positioned to sustain its ticket sales momentum with minimal competition in theaters.