Blue Beetle Takes Over Box Office Throne, Temporarily Unseating Barbie
Blue Beetle has surged to the forefront of the domestic box office, temporarily displacing Barbie from its long-held No. 1 position. The superhero flick has accumulated an impressive $25.4 million in earnings, while Barbie contributed an additional $21.5 million, propelling its already substantial domestic box office revenue to a whopping $567.3 million. Oppenheimer secured the third spot with takings of $10.6 million.
Breaking the trend since its July 21 premiere, this weekend marks the first instance where Barbie has surrendered its No. 1 standing. Despite formidable contenders like Haunted Mansion and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Barbie had consistently maintained its dominant position.
Barbie's journey to box office supremacy began with a resounding success upon its July 21 launch. In a head-to-head showdown with Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, Barbie emerged victorious, ultimately achieving the remarkable feat of becoming Warner Bros. Pictures' highest-grossing domestic release ever. This triumph surpassed even Nolan's iconic 2008 film, The Dark Knight. Impressively, Barbie has achieved a global box office revenue of over $1 billion.
Greta Gerwig, the director of Barbie, reaped significant recognition for the film's financial achievements. She now holds the distinction of being the highest-grossing female director of a live-action movie in global box office history, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. The film's box office figures even eclipsed those of 2019's Captain Marvel, which was co-directed by Anna Boden.
Barbie's monumental success has triggered a ripple effect, leading Mattel, the iconic toy company behind the Barbie brand, to unveil plans for the adaptation of 14 additional Mattel properties for the silver screen. Among these adaptations is a Polly Pocket movie, helmed by director Lena Dunham and starring Lily Collins.
Both Barbie and Blue Beetle continue to captivate audiences in theaters nationwide, offering audiences a dynamic duo of cinematic experiences.