Topline
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie will pass another huge milestone Monday when it surpasses Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as Warner Bros.’s highest-grossing movie ever, the company projected, after Barbie’s sixth consecutive weekend bringing in more than $15 million.
Last week “Barbie” passed “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” to become the biggest box-office hit in … [+] North America this year, and it will soon pass another milestone. (Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Key Facts
Barbie’s worldwide running total through Sunday was $1.34 billion, according to data provided to Forbes by Warner Bros., just slightly behind the final Harry Potter film’s worldwide total of $1.342 billion, meaning the film will surpass Harry Potter’s record on Monday.
Since its release on July 21, Barbie has made most of its money internationally, earning almost $593 million at the domestic box office and $747.6 million abroad, according to Warner Bros. data.
Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group co-CEOs said in a statement the achievement is a reminder of “the power of moviegoers — from countries in every corner of the globe — coming together to further the celebration of an iconic character that has entertained us for so many decades,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Barbie has broken record after record even as theaters struggle to recover from Covid-19, including having the highest-grossing opening weekend of the year and the biggest domestic opening ever for a non-superhero film or sequel; the movie also earned Gerwig the title of highest-grossing female director of all-time at the domestic box office.
Big Number
$7,750,000. That’s how much Barbie earned on Sunday alone this past weekend, according to BoxOfficeMojo. Sunday was the second annual National Cinema Day, a day on which many theaters across the country agree to sell $4 tickets—regardless of the film or showing time—in an effort to get people to the movies. Last year, tickets at more than 3,000 theaters were just $3 and more than 8 million people participated, CNN reported.
Tangent
Oppenheimer—Christopher Nolan’s movie of the summer and the other half of the “Barbenheimer” duo—is also expected to pass a major milestone soon: the $800 million mark worldwide. Through Sunday, BoxOfficeMojo shows Oppenheimer earning just over $777 million, about $300 million of which was domestic. This past weekend, the film brought in about $9 million.
What To Watch For
It’s likely Barbie will soon become the worldwide box office’s top film of the year, beating out The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which brought in more than $1.35 billion, according to Variety. Barbie claimed that honor domestically last week after just 35 days in theaters.
Further Reading
The Hollywood Reporter‘Barbie’ Becomes Biggest Warner Bros. Movie Ever at Global Box Office, Beating Final ‘Harry Potter’ PicVariety‘Barbie’ Set to Become Highest Grossing Global Release in Warner Bros. History, ‘Oppenheimer’ Nears $800 Million WorldwideDeadline‘Barbie’ Reaches $1.34B, Will Become WB’s Biggest Movie Ever Worldwide On Monday; ‘Oppenheimer’ Nears $800M Global – International Box OfficeMORE FROM FORBES‘Barbie’ Becomes Highest-Earning Film Of The Year, Surpasses ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’By Ana Faguy
