WB's BARBIE THE MOVIE starring Margot Robbie (2023) 7 7

[TupennyConan]

On 7/27/2023 at 4:48 PM, Brock said:

I went with my family (wife and teenage kids) to see Barbie yesterday. It was good. Really good.

I laughed a bunch, I teared up once, and I thought the pacing and structure of the movie - especially with its subtle and counterintuitive climax - were genuinely creative.

As with most art, you can read it how you want, and (if I can say this as a non-American) there's plenty for both sides of the culture wars to embrace and to reject, meaning that how people respond to this one is really a reflection whether they're glass half full or half empty people, and has nothing to do with politics.

For me, the movie was an unsurprising celebration of nostalgia, a modestly surprising celebration of cheesy movie music, and a completely surprising celebration of motherhood.

Last week, I was invited by one of the producers to a private screening of the movie Cabrini, which is coming out next March, and directed by Alejandro Gomez Monteverde, the director of Sound of Freedom. Ironically, to me both Cabrini and Barbie shared a well-crafted theme about the empowerment of women, not by virtue of tearing men down, but by the ability to envision and create a better world.

The movie was a success. I had a blast in-theater.   

As for motherhood, I agree. Even so, how do you treat Midge?

 

[Straw-Man]

On 7/27/2023 at 3:24 PM, drotto said:

Leave it to a group that majority middle age men to turn a thread about Barbie into a western recommendation thread.

man, what i'd give to be middle-aged again...

[Straw-Man]

On 7/27/2023 at 3:58 PM, TupennyConan said:

The anti-Lonesome Dove. 

hell, it's anti-everything--but one hell of a ride.

[Straw-Man]

i think i may like suttree better, but just by a nose.

[Bosco685]

 

[media_junkie]

On 7/27/2023 at 5:59 PM, Bosco685 said:

 

Congrats to this film.  I still will not be seeing it, however, Congrats.  Never would I have thought a live action Barbie movie would make $1 Billion+, I am stunned.  But great job to everyone involved from the top down.

[drotto]

I think there may be a massive aspect of Barbies success that I have not seen many people touch on.  This is the first massive unabashed chick flick that has been done in a long time. Especially on this scale, with a massive IP, and a brilliant marketing campaign. I know Disney and the MCU and many other have been making movies with more women in prominent and lead roles.  The difference is those films are trying adapt a formula that traditionally appeals to males and make it appeal to women. Barbie is pure female from the ground up. In addition it brilliantly uses an IP that women have nostalgia for, just as men have nostalgia for superheroes. You can see this in the audience breakdowns.  With the MCU female centric films maybe you get to a 50/50 gender breakdown, but the breakdown for Barbie is like 75% female viewers. You can see this even further when the typical superhero film breaks down like 60/40 men to women. So adapting traditionally male genres for women helps bring women in, but there are still many women this approach does not work with. So essentially this movie has found an underserved market, that has been looking for a film to rally behind, like men have rallied behind the MCU. 

[media_junkie]

On 7/28/2023 at 10:09 AM, drotto said:

I think there may be a massive aspect of Barbies success that I have not seen many people touch on.  This is the first massive unabashed chick flick that has been done in a long time. Especially on this scale, with a massive IP, and a brilliant marketing campaign. I know Disney and the MCU and many other have been making movies with more women in prominent and lead roles.  The difference is those films are trying adapt a formula that traditionally appeals to males and make it appeal to women. Barbie is pure female from the ground up. In addition it brilliantly uses an IP that women have nostalgia for, just as men have nostalgia for superheroes. You can see this in the audience breakdowns.  With the MCU female centric films maybe you get to a 50/50 gender breakdown, but the breakdown for Barbie is like 75% female viewers. You can see this even further when the typical superhero film breaks down like 60/40 men to women. So adapting traditionally male genres for women helps bring women in, but there are still many women this approach does not work with. So essentially this movie has found an underserved market, that has been looking for a film to rally behind, like men have rallied behind the MCU. 

 

+1

It was the women and female teenagers that drove Titanic to such a massive BO, so same thing could be happening here.

[CAHokie]

On 7/28/2023 at 11:06 AM, media_junkie said:

 

+1

It was the women and female teenagers that drove Titanic to such a massive BO, so same thing could be happening here.

Good point and they dragged their boyfriends with them over…and over again to see it. Except for @tth2. I think he went like 8 times on his own.

[seanfingh]

On 7/26/2023 at 7:54 AM, Gatsby77 said:

Unforgiven

Tombstone

The Quick and the Dead

3:10 to Yuma

The Magnificent Seven

Legends of the Fall

True Grit

The Assassination of Jesse Jamesby the Coward Robert Ford

No Country for Old Men

Hell or High Water

Add Open Range and The Jack Bull

[drotto]

On 7/28/2023 at 11:06 AM, media_junkie said:

 

+1

It was the women and female teenagers that drove Titanic to such a massive BO, so same thing could be happening here.

I think the effect is very similar, and Titanic may be the last movie that really fits this mold.  Now, people may bring up things like the Disney remakes like Alladin, Beauty and the Beast, and even the little mermaid, and they are female titled. I think those movie do have somewhat broader male appeal, think Little Mermaid remake was like 65% women, but that 10% jump is massive. The other difference is that this is from a wide audience movie standpoint an original IP. I do think we may be seeing public desire to move to new IP's (also shown by Mario), which this film is taking advantage of. 

 

Another more general thought on demographics, when we see significant swings in demos are they due to increase from the target group?  Decrease in the traditional group?  Or a combination?  Take a movie like Wonder Woman that was 52% women (think I remember that right).  I know many women cam out to see wonder women, but if fewer men cam out, that also changes demographics.  Same thing applies to movie targeted at certain racial groups. For example 200 people 100 men/ 100 women show up for a film, that is duh 50%.  Now your target a specific group and 250 people show up, but that was 50 new women (just gender for example) so the ration is 100 men / 150 women, you female percentage in demo goes up, and you drove new sales.  Good job!  Now you marketing "scares" away men so only 150 show up and you have a ratio 50 men / 100 women, you still look successful in raising your desired female demo, but you really just drove people away from the film. Not so good.

 

Now with Barbie I think it is both.  This is bringing women out in waves, on almost an unprecedented level, and I think many men are staying away.  Similar to what used to be seen with Romcoms, which women used to drive.  There has not been a movie to tap that Romcom type audience with wide appeal a long time. Studios have been chasing superhero films, where the money has been, and neglected this audience.  That created pent up demand, which is another factor in Barbie taking off. 

[Bosco685]

 

[october]

On 7/27/2023 at 5:26 AM, Larryw7 said:

 

High Plains Drifter

 

Yeeeessssss.

There are better westerns, but none more awesome. 

Ghost man rides into town, blows up a hotel, makes a dwarf mayor, literally paints the town red and then renames it hell. Like many of my favorite movies, it's equal parts bizarre, hilarious and mildly disturbing. 

Edited July 28, 2023 by october

[Juno Beach]

Saw it with the wife. Both thought it was good, not great. Audience was about 90% women. 

[Straw-Man]

On 7/28/2023 at 10:10 AM, CAHokie said:

Good point and they dragged their boyfriends with them over…and over again to see it. Except for @tth2. I think he went like 8 times on his own.

went a few times myself, undragged, i must admit.

[Zonker]

There's an amusing Zack Snyder's Justice League reference in the Barbie movie.  

[Cat]

On 7/30/2023 at 9:25 PM, Straw-Man said:

went a few times myself, undragged, i must admit.

Without context this has a VERY different meaning. 

You be you, girl! 

[Bosco685]

 

[sfcityduck]

On 7/27/2023 at 6:40 PM, media_junkie said:

Congrats to this film.  I still will not be seeing it, however, Congrats. 

Why not? Pretty rigid.

 

[Bosco685]

On 7/30/2023 at 9:40 AM, Zonker said:

There's an amusing Zack Snyder's Justice League reference in the Barbie movie.  

And yet the director noted she has no dog in this fight, and doesn't even understand the details behind the movement.