Written By Kieran Bugg • U.K. Editor
Barbie has beaten The Dark Knight’s total domestic box office haul becoming Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing movie in the USA. Back when we saw the first trailer for Greta Gerwig’s live-action Barbie movie, we knew right then and there this would be a guaranteed hit.
However, no one foresaw just how big of a hit the film would become in such a short amount of time. As of right now, Barbie has amassed a worldwide total of $1.203 billion currently making it the second highest grossing theatrical release of 2023 and the 25th highest grossing overall.
In addition, it has become the tenth fastest movie in history to reach this milestone after being in theatres for only nineteen days. Not only did Barbie end up being bigger than The Flash but also faster.
Barbie Dethrones The Dark Knight At The Domestic Box Office
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
It’s also the first movie directed solely by a woman to reach the $1 billion dollar mark. The Super Mario Bros. Movie currently stands as the biggest release of 2023, although this is expected to change in the coming weeks.
A major factor in Barbie’s colossal success is that it shared the same release date as Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbuster, Oppenheimer. When it was announced that both films would be releasing on the same day and sticking to this, endless internet memes began popping up everywhere you looked.
This cultural phenomenon became known as “Barbenheimer” and ultimately encouraged audiences to watch both films as a double feature thus cementing their respective successes. Furthermore, since the release of both Barbie and Oppenheimer, multiple other movies have been released but have all failed to take the top spot.
Without question, both Greta Gerwig and Christopher Nolan have already won this summer. Speaking of Christopher Nolan, one of his previous and possibly his greatest movie The Dark Knight, has held the record of being Warner Bros.’ biggest domestic release ever since 2008.
By the end of it’s theatrical run, The Dark Knight earned around $536 million in the USA alone whilst also making $1 billion worldwide. Nonetheless, this was one battle that Batman couldn’t win as Barbie has now officially surpassed The Dark Knight at the domestic box office earning $537.4 million.
Barbie Dethrones The Dark Knight At The Domestic Box Office
Image: Warner Bros. Discovery
Moreover it’s now Warner Bros.’ second biggest theatrical release in history coming in just behind the final Harry Potter movie. With no sign of slowing down, it’s very possible that even Harry Potter won’t be a match for Barbie