Pink. Glamour. Sparkle. Welcome to Barbie’s world.
The opening weekend for Greta Gerwig’s Barbie made history as the biggest debut ever for a female director. Three weeks into its release, Barbie has already raked in more than $1.03 billion at the global box office, making her the first solo female director with a billion-dollar movie.
The excitement of Barbie’s release made its way to Moviehouse and Eatery employee and senior Malia Willingham.
“At our location, we had a pre-screening of the movie,” Willingham said. “The day before the release date, people were able to buy tickets to a one-time early showing of the movie, and every seat was sold! Everyone came dressed in head to toe in pink, some had dresses and heels on, and even the guys dressed up like Ken.”
Barbie made her debut in 1959 with the philosophy that girls can be anything they want and continues to be marketed with the same message.
“I feel like there were a lot of themes surrounding individuality along with empowerment [in the movie],” junior Al Zhang said. “It encouraged women to go out [and] challenge society’s gender roles and expectations. It overall just pushed women to go out and pursue their dreams without facing the male judgment.”
Willingham finds that the nostalgia surrounding Barbie makes it that much more popular.
“The Barbie movie is much different than any of our other releases because of how nostalgic and popular Barbie was and still is,” Willingham said. “It’s been about three weeks since it first came out, and our theaters are still pretty much full for every showing. I think the energy that the guests bring is also something that’s just so special and really makes the job more fun!”
However, not all understand Barbie’s popularity.
“I wouldn’t say I hate the movie, I just personally think that the franchise is a little creepy and a little weird,” junior Cindy Trinh said. “I don’t understand the hype around the dolls and the Barbie company.”
But the sense of community and womanhood surrounding the movie is something Willingham finds inspiring.
“Most theaters have been filled with women and girls of all ages,” Willingham said. “Every time I walk in to deliver food, everyone is either laughing, crying, or singing together. It’s a really cool thing to be able to see all these strangers connecting together!”
Despite Barbie’s initial image of being a light-hearted movie, Zhang found a much deeper message in the movie.
“The movie taught me to embrace my differences,” Zhang said. Growing up as a minority in Texas has and will always be rough, but the movie taught me to not be afraid of being different anymore and to go on without being judged.”
Engles shares this sentiment, highlighting Barbie’s impact on young girls.
“I think the Barbie movie will affect young viewers, specifically young girls, by giving them the idea that no girl needs a man to succeed and be happy in life,” Engles said. “They should not have to worry about being ‘good enough’ and instead should make sure they are taking enough time to appreciate themselves and their worth.”
Zhang finds that Barbie brings women’s struggles to the spotlight in a unique way.
“[Barbie] acknowledges the struggles women may face in their lives,” Zhang said. “The movie shows an important message that could make women feel seen and represented in a way that has never been portrayed in the past. it brought a lot of struggles and the reality women face to light”
