By Abimbola Mohammed 

Barbie the movie has remained top of the domestic theatrical box office with $1.03 billion in 17 days of its release in ticket sales worldwide, making it the second most top movie in 2023.

It is also the fastest movie ever to pass the $1 billion mark for a movie from Warner Bros., according to Comscore. The other is Universal’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” at $1.35 billion.

Over the past weekend, the movie brought in $53 million in the US and Canada and an additional $74 million in other parts of the world. This adds up to a total of $459.4 million from domestic audiences and $1.03 billion from viewers worldwide.

“Barbie” bested two new releases this past weekend Warner Bros. “Meg 2: The Trench” ($30 million) and Paramount’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” ($28 million), as well as Universal’s “Oppenheimer” ($23 million), which also entered its third week of release.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, said, “I’ve been in this game for 30 years and the Barbie and Barbenheimer phenomenon is as unprecedented as it was unpredictable.”

According to media analyst only about 50 films in history, unadjusted for inflation, have hit the billion-dollar mark.

He added the movie’s marketing campaign was the first hint “Barbie” would be a box office smash. “The marketing campaign for ‘Barbie’ set into motion a chain of events that led to the word ‘Barbenheimer’ being added to the popular lexicon by virtue of its shared release date with ‘Oppenheimer,’ and that’s when we all knew something very special and unique was going to create a much bigger than expected outcome for the film not only for the opening weekend, but for its global run in theaters.

Jeff Goldstein, President of domestic distribution in the US, said: “No-one but Greta Gerwig could have brought this cross-generational icon and her world to life in such a funny, emotional and entertaining story literally turning the entire world pink.”

He added that long lines in cinemas and repeat viewings “prove that movies are back” after the cinema industry suffered due to pandemic lockdowns and competition from streamers.

Barbie the movie is not only benefiting Warner Bros., but it’s also bringing positive impacts to theatre chains like AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. and Cinemark Holdings Inc. The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, is the first with a woman getting its sole director credit to surpass the $1 billion mark.

“Barbie” also leads in “creative” engagement rate at a 265.48 index the relative performance power among different creatives for a brand/product. The “Creative ER” score controls for network and program airing variations, according to EDO.