The film will end the weekend with $1.03 billion (£808 million) in global ticket sales, according to a statement released on Sunday.
Greta Gerwig is the first woman to attain this milestone as a solo director.
It was dubbed a “watershed moment” by Warner Bros.
“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… literally turning the entire world pink,” said Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution in the United States.
Long lineups in theaters and repeat viewings, he claims, “prove that movies are back” after the cinema sector struggled as a result of pandemic lockdowns and competition from streaming services.
The co-chairs and CEOs of Warner Bros Motion Picture Group, Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, described moviegoers as “embracing the Barbie movie in a profound way.”
The pink-hued picture has won critical acclaim and has prompted a slew of selfies at doll boxes displayed in cinemas throughout the UK.
It has so far grossed $459 million in the United States and $572 million overseas, starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.
Critics weigh in on the new Barbie film.
As sales of Barbie toys decline, the company plans to expand into the film industry.
Why are we all so preoccupied with the Barbie film?
Achieving “Barbillion” – as described by Warner Bros – is no easy task. Since the pandemic, just five films have done so: The Super Mario Brothers Movie earlier this year, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Top Gun: Maverick, Jurassic World Dominion, and the Avatar sequel.
Moviegoers have frequently coupled a viewing of Barbie, which chronicles the famed doll’s coming-of-age story, with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a drama about the building of the first atomic bomb.
Vue, a UK-based cinema chain, recently announced that both films contributed to the company’s busiest weekend in four years.
Margot Robbie also worked as a producer on Barbie. According to Collider, she expected to make a billion dollars in early meetings.
“I think I told them it’d make a billion dollars, which may have been exaggerated, but we had a movie to make, okay?” she told the outlet.
The marketing effort for the film has been massive, with pink billboards built in cities around the world and a pink Tardis appearing at Tower Bridge.
Mattel, the toy company, is aiming for similar success with future films.
Other Mattel brands, such as Barney, Hot Wheels, and Polly Pocket, are slated to appear in upcoming Hollywood films.
It published a soundtrack record and went into over 165 consumer product agreements for the Barbie film, despite recently reporting a 12% drop in sales for the three months ending in June.
