- "Barbie" is poised to overtake Super Mario globally after becoming the biggest US movie this year.
- Now "Barbie" is close to overtaking the video game adaptation with an upcoming IMAX release.
- "Barbie" is Warner Bros.' most successful US release and is about to become its biggest film ever.
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"Barbie" is poised to overtake Super Mario and become the highest-grossing movie worldwide this year.
The Greta Gerwig-directed film about Mattel's plastic doll surpassed "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" domestically with a $575.4 million gross, according to data seen by The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline.
"Barbie" has now made almost $1.3 billion globally, per Box Office Mojo, putting it just behind the video game movie's box-office haul of $1.36 billion.
The bid by "Barbie" to pip Mario and continue climbing the all-time box office chart will be boosted by plans to show the movie on IMAX screens.
In a statement to Variety, Warner Bros. execs confirmed that "Barbie" would be coming to the giant screens, where customers will have to pay extra to see even bigger versions of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
"We made 'Barbie' for the big screen, so it's a thrill to be able to bring it to Imax, the biggest screen of all," Gerwig said, per the statement. "As a special thanks to 'Barbie' fans, we're excited to share a little bit more of our cast and crew's incredible work by adding special new footage we hope audiences will enjoy."
"Barbie" has been a runaway success since its release alongside "Oppenheimer" on July 21, and is already one of the top 20 highest-grossing films of all time, not adjusted for inflation.
"Barbie" is now Warner Bros'. most successful film ever in the US, overtaking Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" from 2008 to take the top spot. That could be a particularly bitter pill to swallow for the director, who also made "Oppenheimer."
Gerwig's film Is almost certain to overtake the final instalment of "Harry Potter," which made $1.31 billion in 2011, to become Warner's top release of all time.
Nolan's latest three-hour epic has performed very well at the box office, taking almost $725 million, per Box Office Mojo. It may struggle to eclipse the $1.08 billion taken by "The Dark Knight Rises" in 2012, though.
Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig is set to take the crown for the highest-grossing film directed by a woman. "Frozen II," directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, holds the title after making $1.46 billion in 2019.
Unsurprisingly "Barbie" is by far the most successful film for both Robbie and Gosling. The Australian actor's biggest hit before was "Suicide Squad," which made $133.7 million, while Gosling's peak was "Blade Runner 2049" that grossed $32.8 million, The Tab reported.
It's a remarkable run for a movie few expected to become a blockbuster despite a huge marketing budget that was more than the film's budget.
