The proudly feminist Barbie movie took the top spot at the box office this week and had the highest domestic opening weekend of 2023 with $155 million in the United States and Canada. The iconic Barbie has been reimagined and reinterpreted for future generations in Greta Gerwig‘s pink-themed fantasy movie, shattering underlying patriarchy and giving her existence a new purpose.
The film gained huge popularity way before it actually premiered due to its unapologetically bold feminist themes. The film deals with Margot Robbie‘s stereotypical Barbie breaking free from the bubble of patriarchy and building her true, unique self on the path of self-awareness. A seemingly perfect Barbie’s existential crisis expertly utilizes humor and subversion to criticize various notions of patriarchy that confine women. Given the hugely positive response to the absurdist fantasy comedy, both critically and commercially, is a sequel to Barbie possible?
Will there be a ‘Barbie 2’?
Though Oppenheimer defeated Barbie in the reviews battle, Barbie went way ahead in its box office collection, leaving a strong case for a sequel to follow. Critics have praised the film as a “subversive feminist manifesto,” and a “pink-soaked summer bash” that is sure to please the crowds. And if the moviegoers are pleased, Warner Bros. might greenlight a sequel sooner than expected.
The film’s director and co-writer, Greta Gerwig also talked about the future of Barbie in an interview with People, saying she hopes her film “is the launch of a world and a bunch of different Barbie movies.” So it’s safe to say that Gerwig will be up for directing more feminist masterpieces, or as she puts it, she would love to “go back to Barbieland.” “There’s a tone and a humor and a joy, and obviously the world is so beautiful,” Gerwig adds explaining the reason for her enthusiasm.
The 39-year-old directing genius again talked about a possible sequel to Barbie in an Inside Total Film podcast release on July 20. When asked about Barbie’s ending and if it leaves a possibility for a sequel, Gerwig responded by saying “Anything’s possible.” However, she also reiterated how she is not much focused on building a sequel in a rush:
“I would say today, the main thing I’m focused on is the next 15 days and then I’ll see what happens after that… I will say I loved making it so much. It was such a joyful experience. It was so wonderful. It really allowed us to go in all these different directions and I don’t think any other movie would have afforded those opportunities. I mean it was almost like I got to live out my dream of making a 1950s sound-stage musical, which I can’t imagine anything else would have been.”
However, the Barbie team has long been dropping indications that they might be open to a sequel. Gerwig spoke about the potential of Barbie to start a new series of films with Variety back in November 2022. When asked if the movie is a start of a franchise, she responded with a laugh, saying she “can’t answer all these questions.” but “it would certainly be exciting if it was.”
What could a ‘Barbie’ sequel be about?
In Time’s official cover story of Barbie, published back in June, Mattel CEO Ynon Kreiz enthused about the possibility of “more Barbie movies,” saying “We’re looking to create movies that become cultural events.” Gerwig also spoke on the matter explaining how “It could go a million different directions from this point,” But she also pressed that “you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels.”
But now that the Barbie movie is out and smashing the box office numbers, the team can freely think and plan for a sequel, especially given the plethora of possible sequel ideas that the film leaves us with. It features various Barbies and Kens and a possible sequel could venture into Ken discovering his identity without Barbie, or just follow Barbie finding her purpose in the real world, continuing where the film ended. It could also venture into the lives of various Barbies from Barbieland breaking free from patriarchal constraints and building a newly feminist Barbieland.
In an interview with ET, Ryan Gosling approved a Ken-centered sequel, saying he “would work with Greta and Margot on anything.” So, even though there aren’t any official confirmations about a Barbie sequel, the whole Barbie team seems down for it!
