Greta Gerwig's film "Barbie" is breaking records at the box office, surpassing $1 billion in global ticket sales in just three weeks. The film, directed and co-written by Gerwig, has become the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman, surpassing Patty Jenkins' "Wonder Woman." It has also claimed the North American record for live-action movies directed by women, surpassing "Captain Marvel."
In total, only 53 movies in modern box office history have made over $1 billion. While "Barbie" is the biggest film directed by a woman, three movies co-directed by women, including "Frozen" and "Frozen 2," still rank ahead of it in terms of global ticket sales.
Despite facing new competition from films like "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem" and "Meg 2: The Trench," "Barbie" has maintained its dominance at the box office, adding another $53 million from North American locations this weekend. Warner Bros. expects the film to cross the $1 billion mark globally by the end of the day.
In other box office news, Jason Statham's "Meg 2: The Trench" managed to secure the second-place spot, despite receiving poor reviews from critics. The film earned $30 million in its opening weekend. Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" came in third place, adding $28.7 million to its domestic total of $228.6 million.
Paramount's "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" closely followed in fourth place, earning an estimated $28 million. The film, which has received positive reviews from both critics and audiences, has earned $43.1 million since its opening.
The success of films like "Barbie," "Oppenheimer," and "Sound of Freedom" has helped offset the disappointments of other summer releases. However, the industry's moment of triumph may be short-lived if studios fail to reach an agreement with striking actors and writers. This uncertainty has already led some studios to push back film releases and rethink their promotional strategies.
Despite these challenges, the audience has shown a strong desire to return to the movie theater. The box office has seen a surge in ticket sales, and analysts remain hopeful that the summer movie season will end on a high note.