Barbie Whips Super Mario Bros as 2023's Top Movie

I certainly didn't expect it but “Barbie” has officially become the year's biggest box office hit, after the doll's big-screen earnings overtook the Super Mario Bros Movie's total. 

 

The movie – a runaway success since its release on July 21 – which sees Margot Robbie's titular toy swap her pink fantasy home for the real world, has now made $1.38 billion globally. That has taken it past the $1.36 billion taken by the “Super Mario Bros Movie”. 

 

It's a remarkable run for a movie few expected to become a blockbuster despite a huge marketing budget that was more than the film's budget. 

 

Life in plastic is mostly fantastic according to many critics, who have broadly praised the Greta Gerwig-directed film, made with co-operation from toy manufacturer Mattel. 

 

Empire said Barbie was "painfully funny", while the Independent described it as "joyous from minute to minute". 

 

But Time said it was "very pretty but not very deep", while the Daily Mail described it as "uneven, disjointed, the plot makes no real sense – and the dead hand of corporate America weighs heavily upon it". 

 

The fact is the movie made a lot of money!