Barbie hits $1bn at box office as director Greta Gerwig breaks another record

06 August 2023 , 21:51

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Barbie hits $1bn at box office as director Greta Gerwig breaks another record

Just the other week we reported that directing sensation Greta Gerwig had broken a brilliant record in the world of film, and now she's only gone and done it again in what has been described as a "watershed moment".

After the first weekend of Barbie the Movie being shown in cinemas around the world Greta's film had made $155 million (£120million) at the US box office, which in turn broke the record for the biggest debut ever for a movie directed by a woman. And not only had it made a staggering amount in America in the first few days, but Barbie made an estimated $182 million (£140million) at the international box office.

Margot Robbie plays the lead role of Barbie in the hit movie (AP)

But now, after 17 days of it being shown in cinemas Barbie the Movie has hit the billion-dollar mark, according to Warner Bros. As this weekend comes to a close, the flick has made an eye-watering $1.03bn (£808m) in ticket sales at the global box office. And this means that Greta has become the first ever woman to reach the milestone as a solo director, with the triumph described as a total "watershed moment".

The triumphant announcement was made today by Jeff Goldstein, the President of Domestic Distribution, and Andrew Cripps, the President of International Distribution, for Warner Bros. Pictures. In their statement, the presidents said: "As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water."

Greta directed the movie which stars Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie (FilmMagic)

They added: "This is a watershed moment for ‘Barbie,’ and no one but Greta Gerwig could have brought this cross-generational icon and her world to life in such a funny, emotional and entertaining story, one that is resonating with all four quadrants of moviegoers and literally turning the entire world pink."

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"Long lines and repeat viewings prove that movies are back in a big, big way, and we look forward to seeing just how far ‘Barbie’ can go in the real world," they concluded.

This comes two weeks after People reported that before Barbie held the record for biggest debut for a movie directed by a woman, Captain Marvel, which was co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, previously held the title with $153 million back in 2019 - which in turn proves this new record is even more significant for women.

Mollie Quirk