When Will Barbie Pass The Dark Knight To Be Warner's Biggest-Ever US Hit? Sooner Than You Might Think

Warner Bros. top-grossing movie ever at the domestic box office is Christopher Nolan's 'The Dark Knight.' But in its fourth week of release, 'Barbie' is expected to have another great weekend, bringing it within striking distance of the title.

By Russ Burlingame

Barbie is about $50 million away from surpassing The Dark Knight to become the highest-grossing movie at the North American (domestic) box office in Warner Bros. studio history. That's unlikely to happen this weekend -- current projections have it making around $35 million -- but it's a virtual guarantee it will happen. The North American box office might not be the sole arbiter of success for a major blockbuster anymore, but Hollywood studios still put a ton of credibility into what a movie does in the United States -- and when paired with strong international box office like Barbie has, the result is a movie that has everyone talking even after almost a month in theaters.

For context, Barbie is the fifth-highest performer ever at the global box office for Warner Bros., and the fifteenth-highest ever in international markets (where it has raised a hair over $574 million). What's above it on those international charts? A whole lot of Harry Potter and DC movies, including at least two -- Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at $577 million, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at $596,541,035 -- that Barbie is likely to surpass this weekend.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II, which has a lifetime gross of over $1.3 billion, might seem like a difficult bar to meet even for Barbie at this point. After all, the movie is slowing down, and the 2023 theatrical market is in general not as forgiving as it was when that movie came out in 2011. That said, it's far from impossible that Barbie could figure out a way to get there. More importantly, The Deathly Hallows Part II is the studio's highest-grossing film of all time by a fairly wide margin. The #2 spot goes to Aquaman, a movie that earned $1,143,758,700 during its theatrical run. With $1,059,661,086 already in the bank, it seems like a virtual guarantee that Barbie will pass that number, making it the studio's #2 release of all time.

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In Barbie, to live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you're a Ken. From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes Barbie, which hit theaters on July 21st. 

Barbie stars Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, Ritu Arya, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Dua Lipa and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren. Gerwig directed Barbie from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel. 

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