Margot Robbie already predicted long before the expected release of Barbie in theaters that the first live-action film of the famous Mattel doll would reach one billion dollars. Not surprisingly, the clever Australian actress has not only taken on the challenge of getting into the skin of the stereotyped blonde Barbie on the big screen, but has also signed on as co-producer with Mattel Films and Warner Bros. of a story written by the Greta couple Gerwig and Noah Baumbach that has become the summer and viral phenomenon of the year, as well as being a complete success with critics and audiences.
And it was she who was clear that the ingenious and talented director of Little Women and Lady Bird had to lead the way when it came to giving life to the incomparable pink universe that has marked so many generations of girls since Barbie monopolized store windows in 1959. The Robbie-Gerwig tandem has worked in a big way and in just 17 days -the film was released on July 20 in Spain and in the United States and most markets in the world a day later- it has raised the long-awaited barrier of a thousand million dollars at the global box office.
It is not the only milestone achieved because Barbie has emerged as the highest grossing film in history directed by a woman and ranks as the second best film of the year, only surpassed by the animated Super Mario Bros: the movie, which has amassed 1,356 million since its premiere on April 5, confirming that the leading role of mythical characters such as the 'perfect' blonde doll or the mustachioed plumber have been essential when it comes to claiming the power of cinemas in a year in which the audiovisual industry is being affected by the strikes of Hollywood screenwriters and actors.
Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan's acclaimed biopic about the father of the atomic bomb that hit theaters the same day as Barbie, giving rise to the phenomenon known as Barbenheimer, is not doing badly on its tour of theaters either and has already accumulated more than 500 million dollars, according to estimates by Universal Pictures, becoming the highest grossing biographical title set in World War II.
Now Barbie faces the challenge of overcoming the 1.3 and 1.45 billion raised by the animated films Frozen (2013) and Frozen II (2019), co-directed by a woman, Jennifer Lee. And another director, Anna Boden, signed alongside Ryan Fleck in Captain Marvel ($1.1 billion). But none alone like Gerwig has flown so far - Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman stayed at 822 million. According to experts, Barbie could end her career adding between 1,350 and 1,550 million dollars, also being an unmitigated triumph.
The incredible success of this version that vindicates the toy as a feminist icon with a lot of humor, music and emotion, at the same time that it has received a badge for promoting gender equality, has led Warner to extend its exhibition window, opting for releasing it on HBO Max when it starts to falter at the box office. Despite all the applause, the memes generated in the networks, and the fanaticism that has arisen around the doll - in many cinemas there have been queues and people dress in pink to attend the screening - there has still not been talk of a possible sequel .
However, Mattel has seen Barbie as the goose that lays the golden eggs and has already announced a series of movies based on 14 of its most popular toys. One of the most prominent is Polly Pocket, written and directed by Lena Dunham and with Lily Collins leading the cast. Another is a Hot Wheels adventure produced by J. J. Abrams. The mythical 8 Ball is probably a thriller with violent content and American Girl sounds like a family comedy. There will also be room for Masters of the Universe, a surreal reinterpretation of the dinosaur Barney produced by Daniel Kaluuya, and the card game UNO will jump to fiction, with rapper Lil Yachty as the main protagonist.
Although the company's path in Hollywood began in 2018, after a complex period of low sales, Mattel is now going all out with new live action productions that aspire to repeat Barbie's feat. Will he succeed or will the public end up tired of so many spin-offs and sequels as has happened with Marvel superheroes?
