“Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, is now available on the streaming service Max, previously known as HBO Max.
“Barbie” was very popular when it was released in theaters on July 21, 2023, and many people were quick to go see it. The movie made $155 million in its opening weekend which made it the largest opening weekend of the year and the biggest-ever debut for a female director. The movie would go on to earn $1.4 billion.
“Barbie” has also been nominated for many awards, including Best Picture and Best Fantasy Film. The song from the film, “I’m Just Ken” is also nominated for Best Original Song for the Golden Globe Awards.
Although “Barbie” has been globally successful, was the build up and everyone rushing to the theaters to see it worth it?
The marketing for “Barbie” is likely the main reason for its popularity because of how much it was talked about in such a short amount of time. “Barbie” used specific marketing strategies to reach audiences, including partnering with brands to make clothing, cookware and connecting Barbie with fast food branding. The marketing strategies allowed the audience to create and strengthen emotional connections by telling relatable stories and emphasizing empowering problems in the world.
“Barbie” had a strong message about the representation of female vs. male stigmatization. It also represented the theme of overcoming different insecurities and staying true to yourself and seeing your self-worth.
I personally feel the movie was good, but the initial build up for the movie was more than I have ever seen for any other movie.
Senior Grace English enjoyed the movie when she saw it over the summer and left the theater with a powerful takeaway.
“The message I took from ‘Barbie’ was that patriarchy goes either way,” said English. “At the beginning of the movie, the men felt left out, and when Ken took how men were in the real world back to Barbieland, it showed that no matter who is being discriminated against, it is still a big problem. It also represented breaking through other people’s opinions of how you should be and being who you actually are.”
Senior Emilie Trevithick agreed with English.
“I feel the focus of this movie was women doing what they would like to do in Barbie World as opposed to women not being clearly seen in the real world had a major effect on how they viewed themselves and this sparked insecurities,” said Trevithick. “Barbie’s acceptance to condone her insecurities and be her true self was a very powerful message as well. I feel the build up for the movie was a little much, but the movie was good overall.”
“Barbie” had a powerful message that left viewers with a positive mindset, and although, the marketing for the movie was excessive, it did accomplish its goal of making a successful film worth watching.
