The ‘Barbie’ movie dominated the box office this past weekend, and you didn’t need the numbers to prove it.
Many movie theaters were awash in pink as fans of the iconic doll came dressed for the occasion. Those who spent their youth gleefully hoisting Dream House elevators, pushing around stylish Corvettes, and keeping track of an endless array of tiny high heels were excited about Barbie’s big-screen moment.
Audience Reaction
“Everything about this movie and the toy is fun,” Sheri Lambert, a marketing professor at Temple University, shared. “I think people are looking to escape.”
Box Office Success
‘Barbie’ raked in a stunning $155 million domestically over the weekend, achieving the largest opening weekend of 2023 and the biggest-ever debut for a female director.
Cultural Impact
The combined release of ‘Barbie’ and Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer,’ dubbed ‘Barbenheimer’, has become a phenomenon in pop culture. This might significantly revive a struggling movie industry.
Britney Stewart shows off her outfit after attending a ‘Barbie’ showing in Somerdale, New Jersey, on Saturday. Hannah Beier/The Washington Post/Getty ImagesCierra Fraser and Joslin Farley pose outside of a theater in Los Angeles on Saturday. Jenna Schoenefeld/The Washington Post/Getty ImagesMaria Plascencea stands with her daughter, Daniella Galvan, in Los Angeles on Friday. Plascencea said Daniella really wanted to go to the movie in costume.Moviegoers pose with Barbie promotional materials at a theater in New York on Friday.Barbie fan Shannon Douglas poses for a photo Saturday in Somerdale, New Jersey. ‘I wanted to capture the just like kind of fun pink energy that Barbie kind of exudes,’ she said.A group of friends gather outside a movie theater in Los Angeles on Friday. Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesBarbie fans wear pink in New York on Friday. Stephanie Keith/Getty ImagesJasmine Vaughn Perrett shows off her Barbie-inspired look in Los Angeles on Friday. Perrett says she loves Barbie because she loves a woman ‘who represents being beautiful and smart.’ Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times/Getty ImagesFrom left, Sophie Davidoff, Ayan Babayeva, and Mia Ilyaich pose in Los Angeles on Saturday. ‘We all love pink. It’s my favorite color,’ said Ayan who was celebrating her birthday.Reece Adineh poses with a Barbie doll in Los Angeles on Saturday. ‘I’m from Iran. So I grew up in a country that I couldn’t really have Barbie,’ he said.A Barbie fan attends a movie showing in New York on Friday. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images
