Trailing behind “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” by an estimated $48 million, writer-director Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” appears destined to gain the top spot for highest grossing domestic film of 2023. “Barbie” raked in a stunning $155 million domestically in its opening weekend and last week joined the $1 billion club in global box office sales – a feat only achieved by about 50 films in history, adjusted for inflation, Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN.
Together, Barbenheimer was the fourth highest-grossing industry weekend of all time in North America, totaling $302 million. Most top-grossing films often involve elaborate action scenes and special effects, unlike “Barbenheimer.” “I’ve been in this game for 30 years and the ‘Barbie’ and ‘Barbenheimer’ phenomenon is as unprecedented as it was unpredictable,” said Dergarabedian. He added the movie’s marketing campaign was the first hint “Barbie” would be a box office smash.