If you aren’t one of the estimated nine million people who raced to the movie theaters to see Greta Gerwig’s Barbie before school started, what are you waiting for? Excited fans and curious movie-goers broke out their supportive Barbie attire and painted theaters bubblegum pink for the much-anticipated blockbuster, with an astonishing number of viewers admitting this was their first time back in a theater since the pandemic. Since its release, the box office hit has brought in over $1 billion worldwide, becoming Warner Brothers’ highest-grossing film ever. Let’s take a look at the impact Barbie has had since opening day.
There’s a bit of something for everyone and every age in this nostalgia-filled movie. Whether you played with Barbie or not, it’s full of laughter, lessons, and yes, a little singing and dancing that will have you laughing. We get a peek inside the perfect lives of Barbies and Kens, taking some fans back to the days of perfect hair, endless wardrobe changes and the coveted Barbie Dreamhouse. Everything is fun in the sun and pink sandy beaches until Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) begins to question her world.
As we travel with Barbie and Ken to the human world, Barbie gets a dose of real life, where not everything is pretty and pink. Meanwhile, Ken (Ryan Gosling) discovers a very different role men play in the real world and heads back to change his fate. Barbie soon takes her new-found knowledge home with her just in time to discover the new changes the Kens have implemented. As Stereotypical Barbie fights to free her friends from the spell of the Kens, we see the power of teamwork as they come together to regain Barbieland.
Barbiemania has swept the globe, sparking “Kenough” merch and collaborations with brands like Cotton On, Zara, Crocs, Aldo and more. You’ll even see special edition Robbie and Gosling Barbie and Ken dolls in high demand. The hit movie soundtrack which features songs from Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice, Charli XCX, Lizzo and others has topped the charts around the world and has impacted the biggest radio stations. And as the Barbie craze continues, memes on Twitter and TikTok flood feeds with ‘This Barbie is a…’ templates, Barbenheimer, Ryan Gosling’s ‘Kenergy’ and the iconic ‘She’s Barbie, he’s just Ken’ slogan.
With the wild success of the Barbie movie, Mattel has hinted at plans to create additional movies based on their large catalog of toys, such as Polly Pocket and Hot Wheels. Will they even come close to the fandom we’ve seen since Barbie trailers began to surface? We’ll just have to wait and see. Barbie will be released digitally on Sept. 5. So, whether it’s your first or fourth time watching, head out this weekend sporting a bit of Barbie Pink while it’s still available in theaters.
