“Barbie” crushed it at the box office this weekend, making $155 million domestically and $182 million internationally.
With its dynamic marketing strategy, Barbie has been everywhere — from social media to television shows. And when the mement of truth arrived, the strategy seems to have worked: The film earned more than $300 million on opening weekend. “Barbie” has officially broken the record for the biggest opening weekend for a female director and, according to Deadline, “it’s also the largest opening weekend for a movie based on a toy (beating out ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’).”
While there’s much for the cast and crew to celebrate, it’s worth remembering that Barbie’s journey to the big screen was a rocky one. Even star Margot Robbie wasn’t sure if it would be made — believing it was something the studios “would never approve.”
“The first time I read the ‘Barbie’ script, my reaction was, ‘Ah! This is so good. What a shame it will never see the light of day,’” Robbie told BAFTA. “Because they are never going to let us make this movie.”
It did indeed take years to make the film. When word first broke of a ”Barbie” movie back in 2016, Amy Schumer was set to star. After the comedian left the project, “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot was briefly considered, before announcing that prior commitments would prevent her from playing the iconic American doll. Finally, Robbie — who was also a producer on the film — stepped in.
“I didn’t know this character was going to get down into my bones in this way,” she told USA Today. “I just didn’t ever expect to have so many big, profound conversations about the meaning of life or what true happiness is. I mean, we joke about an existential crisis, but it all did become very existential.”
