It was the cinema surprise of the summer: the brightly colored “Barbie” film adaptation not only impressed with strong reviews, but above all with huge box office sales. Now the responsible director, Greta Gerwig (40), revealed that she even observed the audience’s reactions in a covert field test on the opening weekend in July. She secretly sneaked into cinemas and hid in the back so that she could watch the screenings.
In addition, Gerwig sometimes even adjusted the volume herself if she felt it was too low. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker told these anecdotes during a screen talk on Sunday at the BFI London Film Festival. During one of these secret visits, she heard a woman laughing particularly loudly at a one-liner. She shouted to her: “The joke was for you!”
In general, filming was “the most joyful experience” she has ever had on a set. Even back then she thought to herself: “If I can make a film that is half as fun to watch as it is to make, then we have a chance.” But she also struggled with self-doubt about the script during the process. In particular, the sequence in which the numerous Kens fight with each other gave her pause. She drove home that evening and just thought: “Oh no!” Nevertheless, the scene also made her enthusiastic and happy.
The “Barbie” film with Margot Robbie (33) and Ryan Gosling (42) in the lead roles quickly became a crowd puller. The comedy is the highest-grossing film of 2023 worldwide. “Barbie” is currently in 14th place on the list of the most successful films of all time, and in the USA the film is even on the verge of making it into the top ten and is currently in 11th place . Place. In Germany alone, almost six million cinema tickets have been sold so far.
