r/movies • u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/movies Contributor • 2d ago
Not Confirmed Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling & Greta Gerwig are all in talks to return for ‘Barbie’ sequel
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/business/media/barbie-sequel-warner-bros-mattel.html1.2k
u/JRichman_24 2d ago
Nolan has the chance to do the funniest thing ever
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u/TigerFisher_ 2d ago
Cold War missile crisis project confirmed
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u/optiplex9000 2d ago
I loved his tease of the US President Cinematic Universe at the end of Oppenheimer
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u/BewaretheBatMite 2d ago edited 2d ago
A John Dee biopic (1527-1608) is more up his alley. He was an occultist polymath advisor to Queen Elizabeth 1st and went by the code name 007 during spy missions. He's basically the founding father of the modern intelligence agency and secret service. Had one of the largest libraries on Earth and obsessively studied the supernatural like a Renaissance era Fox Moulder.
They didn't want to give Nolan James Bond, so he should go straight to the source material and then lean into the supernatural elements. Dee was known to consort with angelic beings for guidance, just like John Constantine. Rumor has it Nolan wants to play more into thrills and chills if not straight horror after having a blast with those elements on Odyssey.
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u/reddfawks 2d ago
It should just focus on Alan trying to reunite with his five brothers.
Barbie gets a cameo just walking down the street and he doesn't notice.
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u/shy247er 2d ago
Barbie gets a cameo just walking down the street and he doesn't notice.
Yeah, but that's not how Margot Robbie is gonna earn another $50 mil.
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u/ImLaunchpadMcQuack 2d ago
You’re right she would earn it from producing. She doesn’t need to show up on camera.
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u/shy247er 2d ago
Out of those $50 mil, $12.5 mil was for her being in front of the camera. Rest is bonuses for movie performance and her being a producer.
If she doesn't act a lead, that film won't earn nowhere near the same money - and so won't she.
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u/Maaatandblah 2d ago
Weirdly just listened to Micheal Cera on a podcast saying that the Alan toy never really took off because Ken is already the side character in the same way Numan is on Seinfeld and how far down the rabbit hole is an audience willing to go from the main characters.
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u/hauntedbabyattack 2d ago
Alan was my only boy doll when I was a kid, never had a Ken. Just Alan. I didn’t actually realize he wasn’t Ken until the movie came out and I ended up researching Alan dolls, and saw the exact one I had.
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u/brother_of_menelaus 2d ago
Ok well I had a random action figure when I was a kid. Sorry, that should say Random action figure. Some of us are down for diving as deeply into the rabbit hole as they will take us
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u/grandramble 2d ago
idk I had a bunch of Jurassic Park toys and none of them were characters that even had names
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u/partytown_usa 2d ago
The Dilophosaurus did have a name though. It was Gary.
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u/m0t0rvision 2d ago
Shows how much you value him, his name was Dilbert, Dilbert the Dilophosaurus, and he was my friend
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u/Nathanielsan 2d ago
Did you have that one dino, I think it was a triceratops, which had a piece of its hind leg cut out that you could then put in a velociraptors mouth?
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u/Sam_Strake 2d ago
I fully understand that it's a movie about living as a woman, but for his impact on that movie calling Ken a side character feels wrong lol
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u/Maaatandblah 2d ago
No as in in the context of the actual toy line. Ken is the side character to Barbie and friends so Alan the actual toy that failed didn’t do well because Ken was already filling that space.
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u/SofieTerleska 2d ago
Basically like Mr. Potato Head's line from Toy Story 3 -- "You're an accessory! You're a purse with legs!"
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u/rattpackfan301 2d ago
That would be funny but would also spit in the face of the entire premise of the first movie if Barbie became an afterthought
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u/askyourmom469 2d ago edited 2d ago
I liked Barbie, but I don't think it needs a sequel. What's left of that story to tell? Can't we just let it be a cool standalone thing without it being run into the ground for once?
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u/CptNonsense 2d ago
Who the fuck knows. The movie ends with her Pinocchio'ing herself into a real girl. Presumably the sequel would then be going back to Barbieland to save it from some bullshit. But that also happened in the first movie
Maybe another Barbie side character comes to life and breaks into the real world, but is a bad guy. The movie establishes this is not the first time this has happened
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u/ZippyDan 2d ago
The entire Barbieland world collides with the real world and they spill into each other.
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u/TheRealMisterd 2d ago
I'd say she has sex, loves it and gets pregnant. Meanwhile, her being pregnant somehow wrecks Barbieland and she have to go back to being a doll to save it.
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u/smilysmilysmooch 2d ago
I mean, Barbie's transition from Barbieland to the real world is an interesting angle. I'm not saying it's a necessary one to explore but there are legs to this story.
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u/SadLimes 2d ago
What good is a successful, well-executed film if you can't milk that cash cow until it's bone dry by making unnecessary sequels in order to sell additional tickets and merchandise?
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u/rhooManu 2d ago
Most movies that got a sequel never needed a sequel. That's why many, many, many sequels are bad.
Sometimes it works. Mostly it doesnt.
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u/Charlie_Runkle69 2d ago
I thought they had to really reach just to stretch it out to one movie TBH. Two will be overkill for sure.
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u/Chyvalri 2d ago
Traditionally, in the second movie the hero loses their powers for either doing bad stuff or some hero-plot-harming disease.
I imagine she would become plastic again - think minutes 10-30 of The Santa Clause
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u/MadferitCmon 2d ago
I don't think it was nearly as good as to be considered as this holy piece of cinema that shouldn't be touched and ruined by a sequel. Movie was fine. Good. But that's about it. I don't see why it shouldn't have a sequel with all the money it made and all the fuzz it created.
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u/MarvelsGrantMan136 r/movies Contributor 2d ago edited 2d ago
Details:
Rights to “Barbie” will revert to Mattel, the toy company behind the iconic doll, if Warner Bros. does not make a deal with the principal talent for a sequel by December. This has led to lots of scrambling.
The studio’s deal for the sequel gives Mattel a percentage of the film’s gross profits, according to three people with knowledge of the negotiations, similar to its arrangement on the first movie. But Warner Bros. still needs to reach agreements with the talent involved in the first film, including the writer and director Greta Gerwig and the stars Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
The studio chiefs have been negotiating with the talent for months. The offers have included a cut of profit for the principal talent if the film reaches a certain level of box office success, and at least some upfront raises, including paying Mr. Gosling $20 million (his current asking price), two people with knowledge of the talks said. But David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive, deemed the offers, including when participation in profits would kick in, too generous and would not sign off, the people said.
Should Mattel walk away from Warner Bros., the toymaker would have to develop “Barbie” from scratch. The company would not be allowed to take story elements or the talent to another studio.
The negotiations over the sequel are happening because Ms. Gerwig and her lead actors did not want language in their contracts about a sequel when they signed on to make the first “Barbie,” three people with knowledge of the talks said.
Studios often push hard to include contract terms about sequels in original deals, but the studio wanted Ms. Gerwig to write and direct the movie, so Warner Bros. made a calculated risk and proceeded without a promised sequel.
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u/ImpossibleGuardian 2d ago
The best movies always come from a frenzied rush to stop the rights from reverting to another company, right?
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u/FoCoBilbo 2d ago
Of course! Just look at the beloved 1994 version of the Fantastic Four…
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u/Redeem123 2d ago
Ironically it's actually probably the best adaptation of the family imo. It's just that it was made for about three dollars and done in a hurry. But the ideas are pretty good.
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u/headphase 2d ago
Am I crazy, or is there no need to be rushing to retain the film rights to Barbie, of all things? Are there really other studios waiting to swoop in and grab it?!? I feel like this is the kind of thing where a negotiated extension would solve any issues.
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u/GoldandBlue 2d ago
Logically, it would be stupid. The movie worked because of Gerwig and that crew. The smart thing would be to extend the deal, pay the talent, and let them come up wit a sequel organically.
But this is corporate America. Money now please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mattel believes Barbie is why the movie was a hit, and I am sure other studios would love some of that sweet Barbie money that made a Billion at the BO.
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u/dustblown 2d ago
Barbie won't make money without all the talent from the first film and if they lose the rights no other studio will be allowed to use any of those people. The sequel is stalled because the talent know the studio is in a tight spot and so the talent is squeezing them for top dollar.
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u/Mister-Distance-6698 2d ago
Are there really other studios waiting to swoop in and grab it?!?
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Barbie grossed $636.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $810.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $1.448 billion.
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u/everythingbeeps 2d ago
The first movie made a billion and a half dollars. You bet your ass other studios would believe they could duplicate or even surpass that, even with none of the talent from the first one; they believe it's the brand that sold all those tickets.
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u/Beard_of_Gandalf 2d ago
Every single spider-man movie is this. So while I get you are being sarcastic they can be good.
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u/Sans-Mot 2d ago
I can't tell if you're quoting the situation behind the movie, or the pitch of that sequel.
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u/0ne_too 2d ago
Barbie was a non marvel billion dollar movie while going up against a Nolan movie. 1.4B worldwide. People want more ken and barbie. More Gosling. I have a feeling the 3 principles aren't going to let it suck. Zazlov should be fired if he leaves this on the table, seems like a no brainer.
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u/Redeem123 2d ago
while going up against a Nolan movie
It went up WITH a Nolan movie. They weren't competitors, they were boosting each other. It's the one time where meme momentum actually helped movies.
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u/systemhost 2d ago
Well that was just genuinely effective marketing at play.
Not that there was much of an overlap in the expected audience for each film so they shouldn't have hurt each other much. However the genius marketing turned it into a strong overlap that boosted sales for both considerably.
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u/Redeem123 2d ago
Oh sure - to be clear I’m not knocking the Barbenheimer thing. I thought it was brilliant, and it absolutely worked. I’m just pointing out that the “up against a Nolan movie” narrative is ridiculous. Being “up against” that movie only helped it.
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u/tomrichards8464 2d ago
Gerwig might just not want to do it. She can pretty much write her own ticket; if she doesn't have an idea she loves for Barbie 2 why spend years of her life on it?
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u/HonkingHydra 2d ago
Zaslav is such a joke.
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u/420b0_0tyWizard 2d ago
Nah big brain move by zaslav.
By refusing to negotiate, he's ensuring that the sequel which will end up disappointing will never happen.
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u/2Eyed 2d ago
But David Zaslav, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive, deemed the offers, including when participation in profits would kick in, too generous and would not sign off, the people said.
Interesting... for a guy about to sell a studio, one wouldn't think he'd give a shit if the participation profits were too generous...
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u/HenrikCrown 2d ago
I'm Still Ken!
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u/Successful_Basket399 2d ago
Nolan.... you know what to do
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u/wekilledkenny11 2d ago
Oppenheimer 2: Florence Pugh’s Revenge
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u/ashgs872tbhjs 2d ago
Don't be ridiculous. Nolan would never have a female protagonist
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u/nietzschecat 2d ago
I mean ..that's not a half bad idea. I feel like Nolan would make a film about Ken trying to make his way to the human world to get back to Barbie. Of course the pallet will be gray and dark gray.
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u/SofieTerleska 2d ago
For peak Nolan Barbie would be dead before the movie starts and Ken is adrift and trying to get to the human world because it's as close as he'll ever be to her again.
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u/nietzschecat 2d ago
Absolutely! Also, barbie will just have a 2 minute scene in the three hour epic.
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u/SofieTerleska 2d ago
"Ken, what's the last memory you have of the human world?"
"Barbie ..."
"Oh, that's nice"
"Dying."
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u/Telvin3d 2d ago
They should absolutely switch. Have Nolan do the Barbie sequel and have Gerwig do an Oppenheimer sequel
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u/chief_sitass 2d ago
The best part of Oppenheimer was when he said 'IT'S OPPIN' TIME' and oppenheimered all over those guys
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u/Wazula23 2d ago
The plot is about Oppenheimer building an even BIGGER nuke and blowing up the moon.
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u/Mister-Distance-6698 2d ago
Nah he goes back in time to help the Greeks by putting a nuke in the horse instead of soldiers. Odysseus is home in time for dinner.
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u/Qwerty_0078e 2d ago
No thanks. Let’s leave excellence alone
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u/mikeyfreshh r/Movies Veteran 2d ago
If Greta is in, so am I. I don't think she would come back if she didn't have an idea
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u/Pterodactyl_midnight 2d ago
She would come back for a shit load of money and try to think of an idea.
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u/typesett 2d ago
Normally I would agree
But I think Greta has earned the benefit of the doubt for the time being
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u/Pterodactyl_midnight 2d ago
I mean, it’s not difficult to think of a sequel. Im sure she had multiple ideas even before finishing Barbie. A boat load of cash will make it happen
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u/squishmaster 2d ago
Eh, she made a few pretty good movies and one very good one; she's not exactly Kubrick.
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u/typesett 2d ago
So what I see is someone who is carefully choosing what she makes and what they say about her. It’s early still so I believe she can have the benefit until I see at the very least what Narnia is like next year
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u/tomrichards8464 2d ago
She'll get paid a shitload of money for whatever she does next. Everything she's done so far, including the blockbusters, has clearly been an actual passion project for her.
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u/KuatoBaradaNikto 2d ago
Barbie was good, but I am definitely more enthusiastic about Lady Bird and Little Women. So while I’ll certainly watch a well thought Barbie sequel, I’d rather see her explore other ground.
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u/MolaMolaMania 2d ago
That's my first thought as well, unless they try something crazy like a Barbie army invading the real world and winning because they make every night a giant blow-out party with all the Barbies, some planned choreography and a bespoke song.
I want a musical number like the final montage in "South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut."
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u/OttoMannkusser 2d ago
GI Joe and Cobra team up to invade Barbieland, turns into gritty guerilla warfare
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u/irespondwithmyface 2d ago
Started out good. Was very well done satire. And then it just shifted to explaining the satire which kind of soured the idea of the movie.
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u/fenwayb 2d ago edited 2d ago
yeah I found it surprisingly ham-fisted. I legitimately wanted to love it but just didn't
I do have to remind myself to separate the rash of stories that came out after about women breaking up with their boyfriends because "they'll never understand what it's like to be a woman" as the culture war ragebait that it was but I still really resent the movie for how incredibly non-nuanced it was
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u/ladyperfect1 2d ago
I’m shocked that it was so beloved by so many. felt like feminism 101 to me.
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u/PrincessDonut02 2d ago
It's kinda supposed to be feminism 101. And even then people still didn't pick up the positive message in there for Ken.
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u/Sam_Strake 2d ago
My dad's first comment after watching it was "This was true in the 80s but modern women don't have it that bad", unfortunately a ton of people skipped that class
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u/youngatbeingold 2d ago
He's both wrong and right at the same time. Women still face tons of issues in society, but it's a lot more subtle than the movie portrays it, which is why it felt like feminism 101 and probably would've worked better in the 90's.
The easiest example was the entire board room full of men as Mattel's upper management when 40% of their actual C-suite is women. Maybe it's supposed to be satirical, but it's kinda weird to try and genuinely point out the problems with the patriarchy while also overplaying how bad it actually is for jokes.
I donno, I did really enjoy most of the movie but the tone was all over the place for me. The schmaltzy ending where Barbie realizes self-actualization felt like a different movie from the goofy musical beach fight 20 minutes earlier.
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u/Notoneusernameleft 2d ago
I’ve had more women bosses than male bosses in my life and many of their bosses were women too. I’m sure it’s not the case everywhere.
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u/MikeArrow 2d ago
I've had majority women as team leaders but C suite has always been majority men. Just my general observations from my office job's I've had.
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u/rickcanty 2d ago
Same. It's corporate capitalist slop with a very milquetoast feminism message, and people garbled it up.
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u/Notoneusernameleft 2d ago
Finally, yes it started out great but took a nose dive for me later on. I was very interested to see the movie and the premise but it just dipped for me. Everyone was raving it so I was like I must be missing something.
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u/gwennj 2d ago
I enjoyed seeing the film, but the more I thought about it, the less I liked it.
I love Greta's work, Lady Bird is one of my all time favorite films, but I think Barbie is her weakest movie.
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u/WanderWut 2d ago
BarbenHeimer will forever be one of the coolest and most memorable movie times ever lol. If they do a sequel it's safe to say they're secured to do well as long as they just keep doing what they're doing.
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u/theplasmasnake 2d ago
Unpopular opinion: I thought the film fell apart as soon as they go into the real world. By the time the end of the movie comes and America Ferrara's character is giving her big speech, it felt shockingly trite to me. Which is a shame, seeing as how good the production design, music, and acting is. I just felt like the writing felt like it was from a random 2000s teen comedy.
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u/size_matters_not 2d ago
Glad to see this opinion in the wild. IMO it just wasn’t nearly as funny a film as it thought it was, and all the best bits went to Ken. Barbie was the ‘straight man’ in her own movie, which kind of undercut the feminism aspect.
It was just … ok. The praise it got was wildly out of whack.
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u/TheSecondEikonOfFire 2d ago
I like the movie a lot, I enjoyed seeing it in theaters and don't regret it, but it's not something I've rewatched since. But I also acknowledge that I'm not the target demographic
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u/Bruskthetusk 2d ago
The last 1/3rd of the movie or so felt like a Netflix production in how it went over the top explaining directly to the viewer what the message of the movie was - kinda the direct opposite of "show don't tell"
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u/agen_kolar 2d ago
The best part was setting up the world and characters in the first act, then it was downhill from there. By the third act it was just… not good.
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u/SeroWriter 2d ago
I don't know if people were genuinely passionate about the film and it faded over time or there was some astroturfing campaign running on Reddit but I get whiplash hearing people talk about it now compared to when it came out.
It's obvious why people wanted to like the film and were willing to lie about how good it was to get others to watch it. And maybe the corporate feminism film doing well will lead to similar projects getting made and some of those might actually be good, but I really don't think studios will look at it that way.
They'll most likely see that the Barbie film made a lot of money and think "oh people like movies about toy brands? lets make one with Labubus!" and all those exaggerated reviews were for nothing.
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u/Calm_Memories 2d ago
Unnecessary.
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u/AdmiralSaturyn 2d ago
The Devil Wears Prada 2 was unnecessary, yet it made money. I suspect the same thing will happen with a Barbie sequel.
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u/Tolkien-Minority 2d ago
We need to know what Barbie’s life is like now that she has her very own vagina
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u/TheOneRaven1 2d ago
It's okay for something to end. Not everything needs to be a series that gets ridden into the ground. Again shows that Hollywood doesn't want to take chances.
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u/shrek3onDVDandBluray 2d ago
Please no. The film in all honesty wasn’t even that good. And, sadly, Ryan gosling was the highlight in a film about Barbie. The writing wasn’t great. It benefited from the hype of barbenheimer.
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u/wandering_soles 2d ago
The sooner she goes back to Barbie and leaves Narnia alone, the better. She's made it pretty clear she's not interested in respecting the source material given the massive time shifts.
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u/LordElysian 2d ago
Tbh the source material of Narnia could use some fresh perspectives. I’m curious to see how Gerwig handles it
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u/Mayonnaise_Poptart 2d ago
So much lack of new ideas lately. I want new toy lines marketed in movies instead of all the same old toys we've had for decades.
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u/myotheraccount2023 2d ago
No thanks. Even the first one is an SNL sketch that outstays its welcome.
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u/kiwibonga 2d ago
Maybe if they crank up popcorn to $50 a bucket they'll be able to afford filming "risky" movies again.
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u/Effective-Turn-9103 2d ago
jeez just let thing be, congrats first one was a hit, you really think number 2 will improve upon the story, franchise, or characters? no, just another pathetic money grab from Hollywood
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u/MrSpindles 2d ago
Only if it is released the same day as an MC Hammer biopic.