‘Barbie’ becomes first-ever solo female-directed movie to cross $1 billion on global box office

‘Barbie‘ has raked in $1.0315 billion at the global box office, including $459 million from domestic theatres (Canada and the US) and $572.1 million overseas, according to Warner Bros. Pictures. Its success is a major milestone for women in Hollywood.

With the blockbuster, Greta Gerwig has become the first filmmaker to cross the billion-dollar benchmark as a solo director. Barbie is now the biggest film to be directed by a woman, conveniently crossing Wonder Woman’s $821.8 million global total.

Nevertheless, three movies that were co-directed by women are still ahead of Barbie’s box office earnings, including Captain Marvel ($1.1 billion) – co-directed by Anna Boden – and Frozen ($1.3 billion) and Frozen 2 ($1.45 billion) – both co-directed by Jennifer Lee.

Barbie Taps Into Nostalgia But Amuses The Younger Generation Too

Gerwig, an Oscar-nominated writer and director, is only the fifth woman to ever direct a film that has raked in over $1 billion. Barbie earned $127 million worldwide this weekend (Friday through Sunday), with $53 million domestically and $74 million from overseas ticket sales.

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The film’s success also highlights the power of the Barbie brand, in addition to being a substantial milestone for women. The doll from Mattel has long been a cultural phenomenon and the movie successfully tapped into that nostalgia while also amusing the new generation.

Barbie is nothing but a major victory for Warner Bros. Pictures and it is expected to leave a lasting impact on the industry. Its worldwide ticket sales rank second this year to The Super Mario Bros., which released last April and drew in $1.357 billion at the box office.