July 24, 2023

Let’s Hear It for the Record-Smashing Greta Gerwig

Looks like life in plastic is pretty fantastic.

Mike Marsland/ Getty

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Greta Gerwig has made history. 

Barbie raked in a staggering $162 million domestically on its opening weekend, making it the biggest opening of the year and the highest-grossing opening weekend for a movie directed by a woman—ever. Oh, and it beat out Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which took in $80.5 million.

Another big winner? Movie theaters, which have been acutely struggling since the start of the pandemic. The “Barbenheimer” craze—a portmanteau of the two films— brought out droves of moviegoers who planned double features over the weekend. But it was Barbie fans, many of whom were seen decked out in head-to-toe pink, Barbie-themed outfits, who clearly fueled the return to theaters this weekend. 

 Of course, not everyone is a fan of Gerwig’s subversive spin on the corporate classic. As my colleague Jackie Flynn Mogensen noted, conservative commentators like Ben Shapiro have bellyached about the movie’s alleged wokeness; other displeased viewers left one-star reviews, many paired with misogynistic comments, on Rotten Tomatoes. But if this weekend’s numbers prove anything, it’s Gerwig (and women) who’ve gotten the last laugh. 

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