Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie was undeniably our most anticipated project of the year — and we were right to expect big things. The movie’s great reviews have been paired with a set of box office records that have blown away even the big executives at Warner Bros. More on that below.
The film had been a source of confusion and fascination for all of us for some time. Like, how the fuck did Warner Bros manage to convince the Oscar-nominated filmmaker behind Little Women to direct and write a movie about a plastic doll and her smooth-crotched boyfriend? Has a director ever successfully pulled off a tonal 180 quite like Greta?
In case you somehow haven’t seen it yet, here’s everything we know about Barbie’s plot and cast — and that box office success.
What is the plot of Barbie?
“After being expelled from “Barbieland” for being a less-than-perfect doll, Barbie sets off for the human world to find true happiness,” reads the description under the first teaser trailer. Sounds like The Emoji Movie meets The Witch. Other than that not a lot is known about the plot, but from comments made by Greta it seems this movie won’t be as straight-forward as it seems.
“It deconstructs the feminist iconography of Barbie and recontextualises her for a new generation,” an anonymous source told World of Reel. “Margot plays Barbie with a Valley accent, interest and agency, as she questions her position in Barbieland and clashes with Ken about patriarchy. Gosling is outstanding as Ken, perhaps his best performance. He’s a huge scene stealer and gets to sing and dance,” they continued, predicting that the actor will receive an Oscar nomination for the role. “Will Ferrell hasn’t been this funny in years.”
What box office records did Barbie break?
Originally, box office pundits anticipated that Barbie would pull in $45-55 million at the US box office this weekend. Instead, Barbie pulled in triple that amount, ending with roughly $155 million in the US alone and over $337 million worldwide, meaning the film took just three days to earn back its production and marketing budget.
That means a lot in moviegoing terms: Barbie had the biggest opening weekend of 2023 so far, beating The Super Mario Bros Movie. It’s also the biggest opening weekend for a movie by a woman filmmaker in history, and the biggest opening weekend ever for a film that isn’t a remake, sequel or superhero movie.
Paired with Oppenheimer, which also exceeded expectations and brought in over $80 million this weekend, and we have the fourth biggest weekend in American moviegoing history — crucially, the first three were the weekends of Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Polling suggests that the Barbie audience was 65% female, which makes its success so anomalous: it’s normally films with a male-heavy audience that get this kind of traction. Long story short: the girlies saved cinema last weekend.
Who stars in Barbie?
Along with Will Ferrell, Kate McKinnon and America Ferrera, Sex Education’s Emma Mackey and Michael Cera, and literal popstar Dua Lipa are in the cast. Issa Rae, Alexandra Shipp and Hari Nef play different versions of Barbie alongside Margot Robbie, while Ncuti Gatwa and Simu Liu will have similar duplicate roles alongside Ryan Gosling’s Ken.
Ladybird star Saoirse Ronan was set to make a cameo as yet another Barbie in the film, but told People magazine that the plan was no longer viable due to her shooting schedule. “I was supposed to do a cameo because I live in London and they were [filming] there,” said the actor. “There was a whole character I was going to play — another Barbie. I was gutted I couldn’t do it,” she continues. We love to see her booked and busy, but at what cost? However, the 28-year-old is not out of hope just yet. “I have texted Margot and Greta and I’m like, ‘If you’re doing any pick-up [shots], maybe I can just walk through the background?’” Sure, we’ll take it!
Greta — who co-wrote the script with partner Noah Baumbach — had signed Margot onto the project early. According to Deadline, Ryan was the only choice for Ken and had initially turned down the role, until the pre-production dragged on longer than expected and he was suddenly able to sign on. It’s great news for fans of hot and also very good actors taking on parts they are actually kind of perfect for, when you think about it.
Was Timothée Chalamet supposed to be in Barbie?
Short answer: yes. Greta dropped the bombshell that Dune crown prince Timothée Chalamet was set to make an appearance in the film, alongside his Little Women co-star Saoirse Ronan (as was previously rumoured).
“It was always going to have to be a sort of smaller thing because [Saoirse] was actually producing at the time,” Greta told CinemaBlend in a recent interview. “I was also going to do a specialty cameo with Timmy, and both of them couldn’t do it and I was so annoyed. But I love them so much”, adding: “it felt like doing something without my children. I mean, I’m not their mom, but I sort of feel like their mom.” We mourn the loss of the bananas outfits that could have been; the prospect of a Ken character in the key of Timmy C.
Who worked on Barbie behind the camera?
Barbie was first announced nearly two years ago, where it drove a lot of buzz as the project Greta would be focusing on after the release of the critically lauded Little Women. She was first attached as a co-writer on the film alongside her partner, the director Noah Baumbach, but it was ultimately announced that she would be directing Barbie — her third feature in this role.
“[Noah and I] were making each other laugh and then we got to the end and we started to make each other cry. He thought it was very good and was maybe wanting to direct it,” Greta told the crowd at CinemaCon. “And I said, ‘Step aside.’ There was a point I was so in love with it that I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it.” She also explained that much of the technicolour visuals were inspired by the classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz (many eagle-eyed viewers had already noticed easter egg references to the yellow brick road and Dorothy in the trailers) as well as the vibrant, energetic spirit of disco music.
Is there a trailer for Barbie?
Yes! We got our first long-awaited teaser for the film back in December 2022. It’s a smart homage to — of all movies — Stanley Kubrick’s sci-fi classic 2001: A Space Odyssey. In it, a bunch of children gaze up at Margot Robbie’s gigantic Barbie, towering over them against a muted landscape, as the iconic track from 2001’s score plays. Then, as the children smash the boring baby dolls in their hands to the ground, they shatter. The trailer then transports us to the candy coloured landscapes we expected from the film, and we get a closer look at Barbie and a dancing Ken.
Then, on 4 April 2023, we got a new teaser trailer. What the movie is actually about remains anyone’s guess, but we do get to meet a bunch of the other Barbie’s and Ken’s in Barbieland — including Emma Mackey, Issa Rae and Simu Liu’s characters. A scene where Ken invites Barbie back to his place for a night cap, but is unsure why, also confirms what we said last summer when we first got a glimpse of his cheeky, platinum blonde, open shirt look — Ken is a slut (non-practicing).
At CinemaCon in Las Vegas, attendees were also treated to a top-secret clip from the movie that reportedly gave a bit more insight into the crisis of the movie. Mild spoilers ahead! Basically, things are getting weird in Barbie’s world; cold showers, bad haircuts and flat-feet are appearing and, looking for answers, Margot’s Barbie turns to Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon) who offers her a choice between a blue pill and a red pill (or high heels and Birkenstocks in this case). Picking the latter, Margot’s Barbie sets off for the real world.
Is there a poster?
There sure is! Along with the above official poster for the film – involving Margot, Ryan, and a gigantic, hot pink ‘B’ – the Barbie movie’s Twitter account has bestowed approximately 24 (so far) posters upon us, showcasing the full range of Barbie and Ken characters, and providing our subconscious minds with the fresh faces of several new sleep paralysis demons.
And while we’re here, we need to talk about the officially released photo of Ryan Gosling playing Ken too, looking like a 90s heartthrob whose been through four rounds of social media cancellation and is now segueing between straight-to-streamer horror films and queerbaiting on a poorly-subscribed-to OnlyFans.
Are there any behind-the-scenes photographs from Barbie?
In 2021, Barbie and Ken were papped in matching neon roller disco garms at the beach in LA, believed to be a nod to the Hot Skatin’ Barbie doll from 1994.
The outfits are a stand out, and the paparazzi shots showed us that not everyone in this movie would dress like a budget Trixie Mattel — a clip shows a creepy frat guy slap Barbie’s butt before she turns around and punches him in the face while Ken screams.
Sneaky paparazzi have also caught Margot Robbie leaving her trailer on the London set, dressed like a Harry Styles stan on the train to Love on Tour; a mix of yee-haw Dolly Parton and Kacey Musgraves’ camp Moschino Barbie look at the Met Gala.
Which music artists are featured on the ‘Barbie: The Album’ soundtrack?
Dua Lipa is not only starring in the movie as Mermaid Barbie but has also written and recorded a new track entitled “Dance The Night”. Billie Eilish’s typically existential “What Was I Made For?” closes the movie. Folky track “Angel” by Pinkpantheress has also been released alongside Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s remix of Aqua’s famed hit “Barbie Girl”, which features lyrics like “I’m a doll but I still want to party” and “I’m a ten so I’m pulling a Ken”. Sounds like the song of the summer to me! Other artists included on Barbie: The Album are Ava Max, Charli XCX, Dominic Fike, Fifty Fifty, Gayle, Haim, Kali, Karol G, Khalid, Lizzo, Ryan Gosling, Tame Impala and The Kid Laroi, with more artists to be announced.
What are the audience reviews for Barbie saying?
With a lot of hype around Barbie it could be easy for filmgoers to be disappointed. But tweet reviews never lie. “Heartfelt & hilarious! Margot Robbie’s crown jewel performance (Oscars here we come). It’s super fun, endearing & magical with a 3rd act that’ll beach you off. This isn’t just another comedy, it’s Greta Gerwig’s BEST movie ever!! A fitting end setting what’s next,” wrote @theatomreview. “If you think it looks too ‘girly’ or not for you, you couldn’t be more wrong. It’s incredible how universal the themes are, this is gonna blow up the box office.”
Heard it here first: Barbie is for the masc lads too! Many said the movie served as both a hilarious comedy and a searing, poignant critique of today’s society. There also was much praise and Oscar-speculation for both Margot and Ryan, with many stating this is the latter’s best work to date and the role he will likely be most remembered for. The Notebook found dead in a ditch. We’ve curated a handful of the reviews from the premiere below:
What rating is the Barbie movie?
After reactions trickling out of a number of test screenings earlier this year suggested there were two cuts of the movie currently being shopped around — one aiming for a PG rating, and another for PG-13 — it seems the version defined as PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association is the one that we got.
This story has been updated with new details and republished.