From the first viral photos of Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling roller-blading along Venice Beach as Barbie and Ken, it was clear that Greta Gerwig’s new Barbie movie was going to be a sensation.
But Barbie has outperformed all expectations, breaking box office records for the most commercially successful film by a female director, bringing in more than $356m (£276m, A$527m) worldwide during its opening weekend, and another $50m in tickets on Monday and Tuesday alone. Barbie’s long plastic legs are bestriding the world like a colossus, while more macho summer action films like Mission Impossible are left searching for audiences in her shadow.
