Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune
Co-writer and director Greta Gerwig‘s triumph made $162 million in the U.S. alone from the July 21-24 weekend. That’s the biggest domestic opening ever for a non-superhero film or sequel. Oh, and Monday? Typically the dead zone? The weirdly delightful “Barbie,” a 1959-born doll’s adventures in angst and yearning, broke records for the Warner Bros.
Q: What just happened? And why does the weekend feel like great news for the film industry, but news the industry will somehow fail to capitalize on? A: I’m not an industry analyst. And I certainly don’t understand shareholders and whatever’s being done to preserve their profits. But why, when you have this clear, huge message from audiences — We want movies! In a theater! Give them to us! — why would you take the films sitting on your shelf and not release them until next year? It doesn’t seem like the studios understand this is an ecosystem that has to be preserved. It seems so self-sabotaging.