Barbie Defeats The Dark Knight At The Box Office
Barbie has surpassed The Dark Knight in terms of domestic box office earnings. According to Variety, Greta Gerwig’s movie earned $537.5 million, slightly more than Christopher Nolan’s superhero offering, which brought in $536 million. This achievement marks Warner Bros. most successful domestic release up to date.
Barbie is officially Warner Bros.’s most successful film ever, surpassing The Dark Knight with $537.5 million at the box office.
However, Barbie has yet to take the lead from The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which currently holds the title of the highest-grossing film of 2023. Following its debut in July, which coincided with the release of Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Barbie film has consistently exceeded predictions for box office performance, which is how it managed to smash The Dark Knight’s record
With an extraordinary opening weekend, raking in $162 million, Barbie crossed the billion-dollar mark earlier this month. This accomplishment marked the first time that Warner Bros. Discovery, after its merger, had a movie achieve such global success. Gerwig has also become the highest-earning female director in history due to the film’s success, which includes breaking The Dark Knight’s record.
Like Barbie, Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film, The Dark Knight, was a massive financial success. It was the second installment in Nolan’s Batman trilogy, which starred Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne, Heath Ledger as the Joker, and several other notable actors. The movie received widespread acclaim for its storytelling, performances, action sequences, and particularly Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker.
Ledger’s performance posthumously earned him an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Like Barbie, The Dark Knight made box office history, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. Its domestic box office earnings were also impressive, earning around $533 million, which was a record-breaking figure for a superhero film at the time.
Barbie Succeeds Despite Backlash
Although Barbie has received widespread praise, much like The Dark Knight, it hasn’t been without its share of controversy. The movie has been banned in countries like Vietnam and Kuwait after local film boards took issue with its feminist message. Moreover, the audience score for Barbie on Rotten Tomatoes was negatively affected by a deliberate campaign to flood it with negative reviews.
Speaking about the online backlash, which mainly came from local right-wing critics, Gerwig acknowledged the polarizing reactions, saying, “There’s definitely a lot of strong feelings.” However, she also emphasized her hope that Barbie would be a way for everyone to come together and enjoy themselves, letting go of societal pressures that might not be helpful for both men and women.
When To Stream Barbie
Meanwhile, Barbie will be available for digital streaming on September 5. This announcement follows hints from Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, who mentioned that Barbie might have a streaming release on the Max service in the fall. He suggested that this timing would allow the film to have a significant positive influence in the digital realm.
Barbie’s success has sparked discussions about a potential sequel, with Margot Robbie stating that talks about a follow-up have taken place behind closed doors. Additionally, Mattel Films has indicated the possibility of creating spinoffs that draw inspiration from the movie in the coming years. With so much hype surrounding the film, it won’t be surprising if Barbie breaks more than just The Dark Knight’s record.
