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Warner Bros. Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros Discovery, made history after the ticket sales for its blockbuster “Barbie” movie topped $1 billion at the worldwide box office. The film raked in more than a billion dollars since its opening day on July 21.
Reuters reported that Warner Bros. shared the “Barbie” movie earned $459 million from ticket sales in local cinemas in the United States and Canada. It took in another $572.1 million from overseas sales, so as of the past weekend, the total already hit $1.0315 billion.
The fantasy-comedy film was only in its third weekend in theaters; thus, this is a major achievement for Warner Bros. and the filmmakers involved in the project. Last weekend’s ticket sales - from Friday to Sunday - alone was remarkable as the movie drew $127 million worldwide and $53 million in domestic receipts. Overall, “Barbie” was able to surpass the $1 billion mark in the period of just 17 days.
“A massive achievement like this is possible when you have an incredible filmmaking team, with cast and crew coming together to create a truly special moviegoing experience,” Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, co-chairman and co-CEO of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, said in a press release. “Along with our partners at Mattel, and with the support of the entire Warner Bros. Discovery family, we are thrilled that audiences the world over are embracing the ‘Barbie’ movie in such a profound way.”
Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Pictures also mentioned that the movie’s director also broke a record as the first woman filmmaker to reach the billion-dollar benchmark in a solo gig. Director Greta Gerwig also served as the co-writer of “Barbie” and broke the record previously held by “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins.
“With ‘Barbie’ becoming the biggest film at the summer box office, Greta now joins an elite group of writers/directors whose singular vision has generated $1 billion at the global box office,” Warner Bros. Pictures’ co-CEOs also commented on Gerwig’s achievement.
Photo by: Samuel Regan-Asante/Unsplash
