The movie "Barbie," directed by Greta Gerwig and produced by Mattel and Warner Bros. Discovery, has become the highest-grossing film of the year in North America, surpassing Universal's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie." With over $575.4 million in domestic box office revenue, "Barbie" has also achieved a global box office total of $1.3 billion, coming close to overtaking "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" as the highest-grossing global release of the year, which has generated $1.35 billion since its release in April.
The success of these films is noteworthy as it comes at a time when audiences have shown a preference for fresh content over superhero movies and franchise installments. "Barbie" made a strong debut in July with $162 million, the highest opening of the year. The film also holds the record for the biggest opening for a film directed by a woman and is now the highest-grossing film directed solely by a female director.
What sets "Barbie" apart is its ability to maintain its top position at the box office for four consecutive weekends. Typically, films experience significant drops in box office revenue each weekend after their initial release, but "Barbie" has seen weekend drops of under 43%, with the last two weekends showing an average decline of only 36%. With limited competition from major releases in the coming weeks, "Barbie" is expected to continue driving ticket sales throughout the summer and into the fall.
It is worth disclosing that Comcast, the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC, is involved in the production and distribution of both "Barbie" and "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
Overall, the success of "Barbie" demonstrates the appeal of the film to audiences in North America and globally. Its strong box office performance, especially in comparison to other blockbuster films, indicates a market demand for fresh and original content. As the film continues to attract audiences, it is likely to maintain its position as one of the highest-grossing films of the year.