Margot Robbie has seemingly crushed our Barbie-based hopes by suggesting there are no plans to make a sequel.
Speaking to The Associated Press (see the X post below), Robbie confirmed the megahit film's creative team – including herself, plus co-writer and director Greta Gerwig – didn't discuss potential Barbie 2 ideas during production. It appears, then, that a follow-up to one of 2023's most successful new movies isn't on the cards.
"I think we put everything we had into this one," Robbie said. "We didn't build it to be a trilogy or something. Greta put everything into this movie, so I can't imagine what would be next."
“Barbie 2”? Margot Robbie on whether there will be a sequel to her summer hit. She produced and starred in Greta Gerwig’s film, which made over $1.4 billion at the box office. pic.twitter.com/x6dsIOq3iJNovember 17, 2023
Despite Robbie's assertion, Barbie fans shouldn't completely lose hope. Currently, the fantasy comedy-drama is the highest-grossing movie of 2023, with its $1.4 billion worldwide box office haul (per Box Office Mojo) proving it had the plastic doll-based legs to triumph over other highly anticipated movies. Some of Barbie's biggest rivals of the year include The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.3 billion), Oppenheimer ($950 million), and Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ($845 million).
With Barbie raking in the cash for Warner Bros. Pictures, it wouldn't be a huge surprise if the entertainment behemoth has discussed the possibility of more Barbie movies. Indeed, from a financial perspective, the studio's executive team would be silly if it didn't explore future installments in a potential franchise.
However, Robbie and Gerwig have given mixed messages with their thoughts concerning a Barbie sequel. Pre-release, Gerwig told The New York Times she had "zero" ideas for a follow-up, but later told People.com she'd "want to go back to Barbie Land" if the opportunity arose. Meanwhile, Robbie told Time Magazine that future Barbie movies could go "in a million difference directions", but played down suggestions of follow-up films, adding " think you fall into a bit of a trap if you try and set up a first movie whilst also planning for sequels". In short: watch this space.
Max-imizing Barbie fever before 2023 ends
With no confirmed plans in place for a second Barbie film, all eyes are on the pastel pink-themed flick making its streaming debut.
So, when will Barbie make its Max debut (in the US, anyway – it should make its way to Sky in the UK and Binge/Foxtel in Australia)? In August, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) CEO David Zaslav suggested fans had a long wait on their hands for a Barbie streaming party, though he claimed the blockbuster movie could arrive sometime in the fall - for non-US dwellers, that's autumn in the northern hemisphere and spring below the equator.
With winter (summer in southern climes) fast approaching, WBD is running out of road to bring Barbie to some of the world's best streaming services before Zaslav's fall deadline. As Max's subscriber woes continue, Barbie's official streaming debut can't come soon enough for the beleaguered platform, either.
Our view? We'd be surprised if WBD drops Barbie before December 1, which is when winter begins above the equator, according to the meteorological calendar. Even then, we think it won't actually arrive until sometime around Christmas Day (December 25) to boost Max's subscriber base over the festive holidays. You know, when it's cold and windy outside, and we're all looking for something fun to stream to enjoy some downtime amid those family reunions.
WBD is expected to release its December 2023 Max release schedule any day now, so hopefully we don't have to wait much longer for Barbie's streaming launch date to be revealed. Stick with TechRadar for more news as and when we have it.
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