Barbie Beats the Box Office Collection with a $155 Million Debut

Two entertainment behemoths are going head-to-head in the ultimate Barbenheimer sensation, setting up the battle of the summer (and perhaps the century) in the world of cinema. One of the heavyweight contenders in this showdown is Barbie, a cultural icon that has existed for over 65 years. Barbie has a new perspective under Greta Gerwig’s direction that is both feminine and feminist, all the while adhering to the nostalgia Barbie has engendered among both girls and women. 

Barbie Movie Budget

Gerwig revealed that the movie’s initial budget was around $100 million. But as time went on, it progressively increased to $145 million. Barbie is a more financial challenge for director Greta Gerwig when compared to the budgets for her prior movies, Lady Bird ($10 million) and Little Women ($40 million).

The Biggest Opening Weekend Earnings

Barbie has outperformed initial box office projections, which projected a $90 million to $110 million debut. The film has been a smashing success, grossing an astonishing $70 million on Friday, including $22 million from Thursday previews. It had amassed an astonishing estimated total of $155 million by the end of its inaugural weekend. With this outstanding accomplishment, Gerwig has set a new record for the highest opening weekend profits for a female filmmaker. By Monday, it had been announced that the film had exceeded expectations, grossing $162 million in its opening weekend. Barbie’s success has no bounds and transcends national boundaries. Barbie currently has a remarkable global success of $337 million.

The movie has outperformed Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse ($17.4 million) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which made $17.5 million in previews, making Barbie the winner in a head-to-head comparison. 

Barbie also accomplished a rare achievement by surpassing The Super Mario Bros., which had a $146.4 million opening weekend, to claim the top spot for the highest domestic opening of the year thus far. Barbie not only beat out The Super Mario Bros. for the top-grossing day in 2023 with an amazing $70.8 million to Mario’s $54.8 million, but she also dethroned them. As was already reported, the movie outperformed Captain Marvel, whose opening weekend gross of $153.4 million, to have the largest opening weekend for a female director. 

Barbie also outpaced Nolan’s complex drama with a substantial lead. However, there isn’t any competition or hostility between these two movies. Both films in the Barbenheimer double feature have had enormous box office success in their own right and have a mystical hold on audiences of all types, attracting overlapping demographics.