It’s Barbie’s world and we’re just living in it.
The Warner Bros. flick based on Mattel’s iconic fashion doll continued to tally record ticket sales following its historic opening weekend.
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On Monday, “Barbie” added $26 million to its haul, the biggest Monday in the history of Warner Bros. and the best-ever for a female director. Greta Gerwig’s bubblegum pink feature added another $26 million on Tuesday, extending its domestic box office to $214 million.
“Barbie” exceeded opening weekend expectations, snaring $162 million over its first three days in domestic theaters. This is the highest-grossing opening for a female director in the history of cinema.
Fewer than 100 films have topped $100 million in their opening weekend, and, traditionally, those films have been male-driven superhero fare from Marvel and DC or from marquee franchises like Harry Potter, Star Wars or Jurassic Park.
The Margot Robbie-led film opened higher than Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which snared $146.3 million during its debut and has gone on to top $1 billion worldwide during its theatrical run.
In just five days in theaters, “Barbie” has topped $470 million globally.
The success of “Barbie” comes at a time when studios have struggled to connect with moviegoing audiences. A series of adult-aimed blockbusters have underperformed in recent months, leading many in the industry to question if consumer tastes have shifted away from Hollywood.
Coupled with strong results from Universal and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” it appears that consumers aren’t ditching theaters, they are just being more selective about what they watch. The critically acclaimed combination of “Barbenheimer” compelled audiences to see content on the biggest screens possible and in large groups.
Movie theater chains reported record foot traffic over the weekend, noting that additional screenings for both films were added and concession sales soared.
“Barbenheimer” will face some competition from Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” this coming weekend, but box office analysts expect word of mouth to fuel ticket sales for both “Barbie” and “Openheimer” in the weeks to come.
Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC. NBCUniversal distributed “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” and “Oppenheimer.”