Barbie debuted in Ukraine with UAH 33 million and is already breaking records
And this is the second best start in the history of Warner Bros. and an absolute record since the beginning of the war
Greta Gerwig’s romantic comedy is the best box office performance in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war. From July 19 to July 23, 226,757 Ukrainian viewers watched Barbie, bringing in over UAH 33.2 million in box office receipts.
Thus, the Mattel doll movie beat James Cameron’s second Avatar and the Ukrainian animated long-form project Mavka, which earned 25.8 and 24.9 million hryvnias respectively during its first weekend in Ukraine.
The previous Warner Bros. “Dune was released in Ukraine in mid-September 2021 and grossed over UAH 33.9 million, also setting a record at the time.
In total, Barbie grossed a record $337 million worldwide during its opening weekend, including $155 million in the US and $182 million internationally. The film cost $145 million to produce (excluding marketing costs).
Greta Gerwig’s film centers on the dolls’ journey into the real world, which is not what they expected: Barbie (Margot Robbie) faces sexual harassment and arrest, while Ken (Ryan Gosling) is not allowed to perform an appendectomy on a human, much to his disappointment. Later, the protagonist will run away from the CEO of Mattel, who is desperate to put her “back in the box.”
The gigantic cast list also includes Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Ana Cruz Kane, Emma Mackie, Gary Neff, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Sima Liu, Nkuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Rita Arya, Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren.
Currently, the romantic comedy is rated 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, with the film being called “heartfelt” and “charming,” the actors praised for their “stellar” performances, and Gerwig described as “a director born to make movies.”
The film was released in Ukraine on July 20.
