Risks in Hollywood pay off. “Barbie” has already grossed half a billion dollars after nine days in theaters, with no signs of slowing down as the film heads into its second box office weekend. Who would have ever thought that was a reality? Margot Robbie did, as she pitched “Barbie” to studios as a potential billion-dollar movie. Well, Greta Gerwig‘s film is halfway there, and currently stands at #6 at the global box office for 2023.
And Gerwig can’t hardly believe her movie’s luck, considering she didn’t think it would ever get made in the way she intended. On a recent episode of Indiewire’s “Toolkit” podcast, Gerwig and her editor Nick Huoy talked about “Barbie,” as well as their past collaborations on “Ladybird” and “Little Women,” and had a humorous anecdote about when Gerwig first showed Huoy her script for the blockbuster. The pair kept referring the structure of the “Barbie” screenplay as “Bananagrams” because Huoh couldn’t believe how random it was. In fact, he expressed disbelief that Mattel and Warner Bros. would even let Gerwig make it.
“When I first read the script—and I still, to this day, I think you probably agree, I was like, ‘they’re never going to let you make this movie,'” Huoh said to Gerwig on the podcast. “I just had no faith that it was actually going to get made. Because the script was just so amazingly bonkers. It was amazing to their credit, that they let it happen, and it’s paying off beautifully, it’s wonderful.”
Gerwig confirmed Huoy’s initial doubt about the project. “I think the first text you sent me after you read it was like, ‘Are they going to let you do it?’ Or I think you were even just like, ‘I don’t understand, is this real?’” she recalled, laughing. As Gerwig trailed off, Houy filled the gap, remembering that he texted, “They aren’t going to let you do this.”
But Mattel and Warner Bros. did let Gerwig & co. do it, and it’s paid off for everyone one involved and then some. It remains to be seen how much “Barbie” will make in its theatrical run, but it looks poised to stay on top of the box office after this weekend, fending off Disney‘s new release “The Haunted Mansion.” But the big takeaway here is risk. Without big risks, there’s no big rewards; and “Barbie” puts that adage into practice. Take notes, Hollywood. Maybe that sequel of the same old redundant IP isn’t what should be in the pipeline next.
