It’s official: On Thursday (Aug. 24), Barbie topped The Super Mario Bros. Movie to become the highest-grossing film in the U.S. for 2023, according to boxofficemojo.com. Barbie has grossed $575.4 million in the U.S., compared to $574.3 million for The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Barbie became the year’s box-office champ in just a little more than a month. The film was released in the U.S. on July 21. The Super Mario Bros. Movie was released on April 5. Barbie has been both a commercial and critical hit. It has provided joy and escapism for millions in a summer dominated by grim headlines about climate change, multiple indictments of a former president and a war in Ukraine that grinds on.
Five of the films in the top 10 are the latest installments in franchises. A sixth is a reboot of a previous film of the same name.
As we previously reported, Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, has also become the top-grossing film in the U.S. that was directed or co-directed by a woman. The previous record-holder was Frozen II (2019), which was co-directed by Jennifer Lee. The previous record-holder for a film that was solely directed by a woman was Wonder Woman (2017), which was directed by Patty Jenkins.
If Barbie winds up as the No. 1 box-office hit of 2023 – that is to say, if nothing comes along in the next four months or so to surpass it – this will be the first time that a film directed or co-directed by a woman has become the year’s top hit. Shrek, co-directed by Vicky Jenson, came closest; it was the No. 2 box-office hit of 2001.
Barbie has also been a hit on the Billboard charts. Barbie: The Album has climbed as high as No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Two singles from the album – Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” and Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World” – have made the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. A third single, Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?,” has come close, so far peaking at No. 14.
Here are the 10 top-grossing films in the U.S. in 2023, through Thursday (Aug. 24), according to boxofficemojo.com. All release dates are in 2023, unless otherwise noted.
