Greta Gerwig becomes first female solo director to top $1 billion box office ticket sales

August 7, 2023 - 10:39 AM
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"Barbie" director and writer Greta Gerwig. (Warner Bros. Pictures/Released)

Just three weeks since its debut, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” hit the $1 billion-dollar mark worldwide, making her the first solo female director to do so.

“Barbie” studio says that the film has made $1.03 billion worldwide, with $459.4 million coming from North American theaters and $572.1 million globally.

In a statement, Warner Bros.,  a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery WBD.O, said the figure was confirmed by media analytics firm Comscore.

This was the third weekend in theaters for “Barbie.” The film drew $127 million worldwide this weekend – Friday through Sunday – with $53 million in domestic receipts and another $74 million overseas, according to Comscore.

“As distribution chiefs, we’re not often rendered speechless by a film’s performance, but Barbillion has blown even our most optimistic predictions out of the water,” Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. Pictures, and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution, said in a statement.

“This is a watershed moment for ‘Barbie,’ and no one but Greta Gerwig could have brought this cross-generational icon and her world to life in such a funny, emotional and entertaining story, ” they also said.

Oscar-nominated writer and director Gerwig joins a club of less than 50 filmmakers who reached the billion-dollar mark.

Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, the movie sends Mattel Inc’s MAT.O iconic doll on an adventure into the real world.

Gerwig directed “Barbie” from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel.

“Barbie” ticket sales rank second this year to “The Super Mario Bros,” which was released in April and has raked in a total of $1.357 billion at the box office.

Now showing in Philippine cinemas, “Barbie” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures in the country. —Intern, Ingrid Alexandrea Delgado with reports from Reuters