Barbie, the newest film from director Greta Gerwig, just hit theaters July 23, and it’s released to mountain of success. Much like any big screen hit, it’s been met with both backlash and speculation of a sequel. According to Hollywood Reporter, director Gerwig, in response to sequels said “at this moment, it’s all I’ve got.”
“I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did,” she said, in a New York Times interview. “I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream, but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”
Barbie completely demolished box office numbers over the weekend, bringing in a whopping $162 million at the US box office it opening weekend, which also led Gerwig to shatter the best opening weekend for a female director.
On top of the box office success that the movie has been seeing, Gerwig herself finally has time to reflect on it all, noting the little things about the opening. “I think part of the reason I was so fixated on volume levels [in theaters] was because it was a thing I could concentrate on,” she had said, “but mostly, it’s been running into people on the street who are excited and happy and exuberant, because so much of this movie was an attempt to create something that people would want to experience together. So, it’s the little things.”
While reception is overwhelmingly warm, even sitting at a comfortable 90% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, anything will gather its own naysayers. The story tackles lot of real world issues, such as sexism, feminism, and personal determination. And, while the messages have resonated with many, some have called it “woke” and even went to the level of burning Barbie dolls.
In response, Gerwig said, “My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men. I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.”
Barbie is now playing in theaters.
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