Nigerians Spent N59.2 Million to See ‘Barbie’ Movie as its Global Gross Hit $1.052 Billion

Nigerians spent N59.2 million to see the movie ‘Barbie’ from July 28 to August 3, 2023 and August 4-6, data from the Cinema Exhibitors Association of Nigeria show.

The data also showed that the comedy movie led the top 20 weekend film releases for both weekends’ cinema viewings in terms of earnings, which is 24.3 percent of the total revenue of N243.8 million.

Other films in the top 20 list include ‘Meg 2: The Trench’ (N19.4 million), ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ (N16.6 million), ‘Orisa’ (N13.8 million) and ‘Oppenheimer’ (N7.7 million).

‘Barbie,’ directed by Greta Gerwig and co-written by Noah Baumbach, is a 2023 American fantasy comedy film. It brings to life the iconic Barbie fashion dolls from Mattel in its first-ever live-action adaptation.

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The story follows Barbie (Margot Robbie) and Ken (Ryan Gosling) as they embark on a journey of self-discovery amidst an existential crisis. The film boasts a star-studded cast, including America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Michael Cera, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell.

‘Barbie’ had its grand premiere at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on July 9, 2023, and was officially released in the United States on July 21 by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Garnering favourable reviews from critics, the film has achieved a global box office gross of $1.05 billion, securing the position as the second-highest-grossing film of 2023.

However, Variety, an American entertainment trade magazine, reported that Warner Bros. allocated a budget of $150 million for marketing ‘Barbie,’ surpassing the $145 million budget for the movie’s production.

As of August 8, 2023, ‘Barbie’ has grossed $478.1 million in the US and Canada, and $574.2 million in other territories, resulting in a total worldwide gross of $1.052 billion.

The film also gained acclaim for its “record-breaking” opening weekend, setting a new record for non-sequel, non-remake, and non-superhero films. It crossed the $1 billion mark globally on August 6, 2023, marking a historic achievement for a film directed by a solo female director.

In addition to that, the accolades for the film include winning the Best Teaser category at the 2023 Golden Trailer Awards and earning the title of Most Anticipated Film at the 6th Hollywood Critics Association Midseason Film Awards.

‘Barbie’ is still number one at the box office in the US. It’s been at the top of the charts for four weekends in a row and has made $529 million in the US alone.