- "Barbie" is now the world's biggest film this year after overtaking "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
- The movie about Mattel's plastic doll is also getting a run on IMAX screens.
"Barbie" has overtaken "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" to become the world's best box-office performer this year.
The Greta Gerwig-directed film about Mattel's plastic doll surpassed "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" domestically last month and has now taken $612 million, per Box Office Mojo.
"Barbie" has done even better internationally, with a haul of almost $772 million, bringing the total to just over $1.38 billion. Mario made $1.36 billion globally.
The film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is also coming to IMAX screens, Warner Bros. told Variety last month.
"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 on the same day as "Oppenheimer" on July 21, and is already the 15th highest-grossing film 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 has also overtaken the final "Harry Potter" release, which made $1.31 billion in 2011, to become Warner's biggest movie ever.
Nolan's latest three-hour epic has performed very well at the box office, taking $853 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 could also grab 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 cost to make.