Cinema fans shouldn’t expect a repeat of this summer, when director Greta Gerwig’s cultural phenomenon “Barbie” took the box office by storm.
The film’s star, Margot Robbie, was pretty clear that there likely will not be another installment of this year’s highest-grossing film.
During a recent interview with the Associated Press, the Australian weighed in on the matter of reprising her role as a live-action Mattel doll.
“I think we put everything into this one,” she said of the film. “We didn’t build it to be a trilogy or something. Greta put everything into this movie, so I can’t imagine what would be next.”
In an era where “woke” Hollywood studios and directors too often rely on remakes, reboots, sequels and prequels to turn a profit, it appears as though Robbie has joined those who are ready to see more original projects.
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The actress, 33, praised her hit summer movie as different than many of today’s films, in the sense that it was unique.
“I’d say the biggest takeaway for me is that original films can still hit huge at the box office. It doesn’t have to be a sequel or a prequel or a remake,” she said. “It can be totally original. It can still be big, given the big budget to do that.”
On a budget of somewhere in the ballpark of $145 million, Robbie helped drive audiences into seats beginning in July.
The result was a movie that brought in almost $1.5 billion globally.
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The “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” star has been a box office draw since she appeared in Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street.”
She told the AP she is more confident than ever that she and others like her can carry films to box office glory.
“Just because there’s a female lead doesn’t mean it’s not going to hit all four quadrants, which is, you know, I think a misconception that a lot of people still have,” she said.
“Barbie 2”? Margot Robbie on whether there will be a sequel to her summer hit. She produced and starred in Greta Gerwig’s film, which made over $1.4 billion at the box office. pic.twitter.com/x6dsIOq3iJ
— AP Entertainment (@APEntertainment) November 17, 2023
But a central theme in Robbie’s remarks was the importance of Hollywood returning to making more original films, which is a refreshing takeaway from “Barbie” — even if the film portrayed men as meandering dunces.
“It’s really important that ‘Barbie’ did well,” she concluded. “As much as it is nice, it’s also really important that it does well so people can also, in future, have big, original ideas and be given the budget to execute them properly.”
While there is little doubt there would be an appetite for another installment of “Barbie” from fans and from Warner Bros., Robbie appears to have ruled such a project out.
In addition to being the star of Gerwig’s hit movie, Robbie was also one of the film’s producers — so it does not look like Barbieland will be seen again.
That fact will no doubt have some feeling a sense of relief.
Moviegoers have increasingly expressed frustration in recent years with film franchises that both never end and place less of a premium on quality.
The end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been predicted for years, and if 2023 is any indication, the fatigue is growing.
Meanwhile, “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” spent the summer raking in a combined $2.4 billion after they were released on the same day.
One thing the two polar opposite films shared is that they were both original.
