BARBIE FILM. Released last Wednesday in France, the film Barbie by Greta Gerwig achieved a nice success at the international box office. How does he position himself against Oppenheimer, released the same day?
[Mis à jour le 24 juillet 2023 à 10h40] The Barbie movie is a real hit at the global box office. Released on July 19 in France and a few days later in the United States, Greta Gerwig’s latest achievement mobilizes spectators. In the USA, in just three days, the candy pink feature film has already earned $155 million and is therefore already making a profit, compared to $80.5 million for Oppenheimer, released the same day (remember also that, for 3 hours, the number of possible screenings is therefore reduced).
The launch of Barbie is also the best start of the year and the best launch of all time for a female director. Worldwide, Barbie has already earned $337 million in revenue. At the box office, this comedy does better than Oppenheimer (174.2 million dollars internationally) but loses (narrowly) the critics’ match (3.4/5 according to the press and spectators for Barbie, 3.8/5 for the film by Christopher Nolan on the press side, 4.4/5 for viewers on Allociné’s review aggregator)
For those who would be tempted to see the Barbie movie, know above all that it is not a simple live action adaptation of the adventures of the Mattel doll. In the opinions published by the spectators and the press, we discover that it is about a resolutely feminist comedy which settles its account with the patriarchy. We are far from a film resolutely for children. Some are absolutely won over, others disappointed, but everyone is curious about the film worn by Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, whose services are also praised. Roundup of reviews below.
As Le Point says: “Just because it’s pink doesn’t mean it’s stupid”. Spectators call this high-octane comedy “feminist”, “deeply funny and embodied”, “intelligent” “touching and necessary”, the praises are not lacking. On the side of the specialized press, opinions are sometimes more measured. For Première, “Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling are divine in this wacky and malignant comedy”, Le Figaro, for its part, finds that the film “takes the opportunity to settle accounts with the patriarchy with jubilant humor”.
#Barbie is an ode to feminism and emancipation.
Not just women, but everyone. The film mixes several big themes such as anti-patriarchy, the quest for oneself or even the place of women in society.
An excellent film that may displease. pic.twitter.com/PkjkUlJ7Gv
—Julian (@JulianMdtt) July 18, 2023
More measured, Paris-Match salutes the “burlesque worthy of Monty Python” while deploring a “more narrow morality”. Overall, the second part in the human world, more “conventional” according to the opinions, is the main flaw of the film. Le Parisien admits for his part that the film is “nice and blue flower”. For Le Monde, it’s even worse, “the blockbuster signed Greta Gerwig exhibits a “girl power” of the most opportunistic.” Certainly, the film Barbie remains one of the films not to be missed this Wednesday.
Among the reproaches made about the film Barbie, we find the commercial aspect of the film. Blockbuster at 100 million dollars, the marketing campaign around the film has bludgeoned spectators for several weeks with advertisements and derivative products. For Liberation however, if the “marketing [était] frankly tyrannical, the bet has paid off for this charming satire which does not allow itself to be devoured by its paradoxes”. For its part, Le Monde finds that “everywhere, all the time, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (her co-screenwriter and companion) seem to be gesticulating in all directions to prove that they keep their hands on the film, ignoring the prerogatives of their employers and the guiding ambition of the CEO of Mattel: ‘Going from a manufacturing company toy company, which manufactures items, to an intellectual property company, which runs franchises.'”
A seasoned marketing campaign and onlooker curiosity brought audiences to dark theaters to see Barbie. The film had the best start of the year with 13 million admissions and $155 million at the US box office in its first weekend of release, allowing the film, which had a budget of $145 million, to turn a profit in just three days. Worldwide, the film grossed $337 million.
In France, according to Olivier Snanoudj, distributor at Warner Bros France, the film has accumulated 268,359 admissions on the first day of its release. Added to this are the figures for the previews the day before, ie 91,530 admissions, for a total of 359,889 admissions from July 18 to 19. By way of comparison, Oppenheimer, the main competing film, also had a nice success since it achieved 150,000 admissions in France for its first day of start-up, reports Xavier Albert, general manager of Universal Pictures France. In the United States, the film also generated 6 million admissions and 80.5 million dollars, or 174.2 million dollars generated worldwide.
film sheet
Barbie is a film directed by Greta Gerwig which is one of the films expected in the summer of 2023. This live action feature film follows the adventures of a doll who finds herself going on an adventure and discovering the real world, accompanied by Ken. In the casting, viewers will recognize Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in the lead roles. The opportunity to discover this adaptation of the cult doll, which also promises to make fun and twist the blow to many clichés. Also in the cast, a myriad of stars: America Ferrera, Will Ferrel, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, Nicola Coughlan, Helen Mirren, Dua Lipa or even Michael Cera and Kate McKinnon make an appearance. All information about the film can be found below.
Synopsis – In Barbie Land, you are a perfect being in a perfect world. Unless you’re in existential crisis, or you’re Ken. A Barbie doll, judged not to be perfect enough, goes on an adventure in our world.
- Margot RobbieBarbie
- Ryan GoslingKen
- Issa Rae: Barbie (Chair)
- Simu Liu: Ken
- Emma Mackey: Barbie (Nobel Prize in Physics)
- Kingsley Ben-Adir as Ken
- Nicola Coughlan: Barbie (ambassador)
- Ncuti Gatwa: Ken
- Hari Nef: Barbie (doctor)
- Dua Lipa: Barbie (Mermaid)
- Ana Cruz Kayne: Barbie (Magistrate)
- Scott EvansKen
- Sharon RooneyBarbie (Lawyer)
- Emeral FennellMidge
- Michael CeraAlan
- Kate McKinnonBarbie
- will ferrell
- Jamie Demetriou
- Connor Swindells
- America Ferrera
- Helen Mirren
- Ariana Greenblatt
The Barbie movie is Greta Gerwig’s latest achievement. And if her name means something to you, it’s normal: she is an actress and director of several films. As an actress, it is especially in independent cinema and American authors that we have seen her, as in Sex Friends, To Rome with Love, Frances Ha, Eden or more recently White Noise. Her directing career began in 2008 with Nights and Weekends. But it is especially with Lady Bird in 2017 then The daughters of doctor March in 2019 that she made a name and a reputation, the two films having been nominated for the Oscars (best direction for Lady Bird and best adapted screenplay for The daughters of doctor March).
In France, the film Barbie is classified as a general public, which means that everyone can see the film. Be careful though: this is not a children’s film. In the United States, the feature film is even not recommended for children under 13. According to 20 minutes, moreover, “this feminist comedy tackles subjects that are difficult for young audiences to access” and the film was not designed for children, since it deals with adult subjects in a way that the youngest will not necessarily understand.