Actress Margot Robbie is riding high on the success of her fantasy comedy film Barbie, which became the highest-grossing film of 2023. The Greta Gerwig directorial made $1.4 billion at the box office and recently won the inaugural Golden Globe for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement.
Robbie, who produced the film under her production company LuckyChap Entertainment, also starred as Stereotypical Barbie, who goes through an existential crisis as she relives the same day in Barbieland. The film’s raging commercial success reportedly reminded Margot Robbie of her childhood where she could see a movie being watched as a communal experience.
Also read: Not Even Margot Robbie’s Barbie Can Break Barbra Streisand’s Golden Globes Record
Margot Robbie Remembers Her Childhood After Barbie Success
Margot Robbie’s Barbie was the first live-action adaptation of the popular children’s play doll after the film was in developmental hell for years. Robbie spearheaded the film as a producer, leading the production through her company LuckyChap Entertainment, and was responsible for getting director Greta Gerwig on board.
The film follows the story of Stereotypical Barbie, whose seemingly perfect life in the matriarchal Barbieland comes to a halt when thoughts of death plague her. The film was lauded for its mature themes and references to real-world issues, while also being a fun-packed comedy. It received nine nominations at the Golden Globes, tying with Cabaret for second-most nominations in the Award’s history.
Barbie also broke several records at the box office with its global collection of $1.4 billion. When asked about the historic opening of the film, Margot Robbie told Variety that the collections represented a communal experience at the theaters, which was missing for quite some time. While attending the Golden Globes ceremony, she said,
“It’s more about what that number represents. When we would go to the theater on opening weekend and seeing this sea of people wearing pink or dressed up as Ken, it was such a wild feeling and I haven’t seen this communal kind of experience since I was a kid.”
The film became the highest-grossing film of the year, beating the animated film The Super Mario Bros. from the top spot.
Margot Robbie’s Barbie Crossed Several Box Office Milestones
The Margot Robbie starring fantasy comedy Barbie saw a theatrical footfall like no other last year. Coupled with the release of Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, the films were the subject of a popular meme that clubbed both releases and made a cinematic event out of it titled ‘Barbenheimer’. The meme translated to reality when audiences showed up at cinemas for a double feature.
While both films were pitted against each other, both films earned great amounts at the box office and were termed to be blockbusters. In an era where only superhero films were seen as the standard for success, two original films, one a biopic and one based on a doll won the race. Barbie earned $1.4 billion globally and became the fourteenth highest-grossing film of all time.
The film also broke several long-standing milestones at the box office. It became the highest-grossing film by a solo female director and even became the highest-grossing live-action comedy by a solo female director, surpassing the Chinese film Hi, Mom. It became the highest-grossing comedy of all time by smashing the record held by Home Alone.
The film was produced by Warner Brothers Studio and it became the highest-grossing film for the studio, which named its billion-dollar gross, ‘Barbillion’. The film also beat Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 to being the fastest Warner Bros. film to reach $1 billion. It also beat out The Dark Knight as the highest Monday gross for a WB film.
Barbie can be streamed on Max.
