Barbie has officially become the year’s biggest box office hit, after the doll’s big-screen earnings overtook the Super Mario Bros Movie’s total.

The Barbie movie, which sees Margot Robbie’s titular toy swap her pink fantasy home for the real world, has now made $1.38bn (£1.1bn) globally.

That has taken it past the $1.36bn taken by the Super Mario Bros Movie.

Barbie has also helped the US summer box office reach the $4bn (£3.2bn) mark for the first time since the pandemic.

Analysts did not expect cinemas to reach that milestone, but the success of Barbenheimer - Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, which were released on the same day in July - propelled takings past last year’s total of $3.4bn (£2.7bn).

Industry experts also predicted that the Super Mario Bros Movie would be the biggest film of 2023. But Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, has proved them wrong on that front too.

The biggest films of 2023 so far

1. Barbie - $1.38bn
2. The Super Mario Bros Movie - $1.36bn
3. Oppenheimer - $853m
4. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 - $846m
5. Fast X - $705m
  • Sir_Simon_Spamalot@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    That’s the whole point, tho. It’s meant to simply be a social commentary, not to provide a solution or whatsoever.

    The antagonist is pretty much as confused and angsty as anyone could be. What sets him apart is that he’s given a chance to do some real damage.

    In the end, the best they could do is the slightly improved version of status quo.

    • Margot Robbie@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      But unlike in Babylon, our protagonist didn’t go back the absurd status quo, but instead choose to leave and become human in another world, right?

      Just as you have chosen to leave reddit and start anew at Lemmy.

      • Sir_Simon_Spamalot@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That is true, but I stand corrected.

        The slightly improved that I mentioned is meant in the grand scheme of things, whic is the audiences’ perspective. Yes, Barbie and Ken found their true selves, but other than that, not much.

        With the same tone, one can say: yes, Lemmy is better than Reddit and we like it here; but outside of our world, nothing changes as most people probably don’t care about Reddit anyway.

    • Blapoo@lemmy.ml
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      1 year ago

      Fair. I interpreted it as 2 fantasy worlds battling each other. Neither was “reality”, so any outcome shouldn’t be taken prescriptively.

      And I agree - social commentary. I’m pleased just to see the discussion getting going _