‘Barbie’ crosses $1 billion globally in 17 days of release

American fantasy comedy ‘Barbie’ directed by Greta Gerwig, has crossed $1 billion at the global box office, collecting $459 million in North America and $572 million internationally.

With ‘Barbie’ entering the billion-dollar club, Gerwig becomes the first-ever solo female filmmaker with a billion-dollar movie.

Variety reported that in a statement, co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, said,

“Greta now joins an elite group of writer-directors whose singular vision has generated $1 billion at the global box office, a milestone that is testament to her brilliance and to her commitment to deliver a movie that Barbie fans of every age want to see on the big screen.”

The movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was released on July 21, 2023, and opened with its $155 million domestic debut, marking to be the biggest opening weekend of 2023 and the best start for a movie directed by a woman.

According to a report by Variety, ‘Barbie’ achieved this coveted milestone following just 17 days of release and became the fastest Warner Bros. release and eighth in the studio’s 100-year history. Earlier ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2’ achieved that record at 19 days.

‘Barbie’ also marks to be the second blockbuster of this year and the sixth of the pandemic era to cross $1 billion, right after ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home,’ ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ and ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’

The Oscar-nominated director of ‘Lady Bird’ and ‘Little Women,’ Greta Gerwig, co-wrote the screenplay with Noah Baumbach.