Barbie Biggest Opening Weekend Ever For A Female Director

Making it the year’s biggest opening weekend, too.

With its $155 million at the box office, Barbie is the biggest opening weekend ever for a female director (Greta Gerwig) and the year’s biggest opening weekend.

Captain Marvel, co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, previously held the title after earning $153 million in 2019. Wonder Woman, directed by filmmaker Patty Jenkins, made history in 2017 with its $103 million debut, becoming the highest-grossing movie solely directed by a woman. Now Barbie broke every previous record.

Critics have embraced the movie, with an impressive 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. Not only that, the audience awarded it an “A” rating at CinemaScore. Initial audiences were 65% female, which is notable because it’s rare for any movie to generate over $100 million in its debut without men making up the majority. It’s worth mentioning that Greta Gerwig, the Oscar-nominated director of Lady Bird and Little Women, co-wrote the film’s screenplay with her partner, Noah Baumbach (A Marriage Story, White Noise).

Source: Variety