Summary
Warning: This article contains spoilers forBarbie.
The unprecedented blockbuster success ofBarbiemakes a sequel seem like a no-brainer from a commercial point-of-view, but it might not be the best artistic decision, and star Margot Robbie and writer-director Greta Gerwig might not even return for a potentialBarbie 2.Barbie’s whopping $337 million haul on its opening weekend was the biggest opening for a non-sequel, remake, or superhero property, and beat outThe Super Mario Bros. Moviefor the biggest opening of 2023 (viaScreen Rant). At a time when studios are struggling to get audiences out to theaters,Barbieis attracting the kind of crowds that haven’t come out to a comedy movie in over a decade. Movies with much less success thanBarbiehave been given a sequel in a heartbeat.
Warner Bros. executives must be foaming at the mouth as they watchBarbierace to the billion-dollar mark. But while there are plenty of business reasons to make a sequel toBarbie, the creative reasons for a sequel are much more scarce.Barbieworks beautifully as a standalone movie. It says everything it has to say within its own 114-minute runtime. The final scene leaves Barbie in a good place with the perfect ending to her journey of self-actualization.Barbie 2couldn’t say anything about identity or gender inequality that wasn’t already covered in the first film. ABarbiesequel is all but guaranteed to get made, but it’ll inevitably fall into all the comedy sequel pitfalls and land with a thud next toZoolander 2,Anchorman 2, andThe Hangover Part II.
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Does Barbie Leave Room For A Sequel?
The final scene ofBarbieisn’t so conclusive that a sequel can never, ever happen, but it doesn’t leave much room forBarbie 2, either. At the end ofBarbie, the title character decides to permanently relocate to the real world to become a human being. This transformation is summed up in the movie’s perfect punchline as Barbie excitedly visits a gynecologist’s office for the first time. This is the definitive conclusion of Barbie’s story. A sequel could explore Barbie’s adjustment to human life, which could lead tosome great gags, but she already had her happy ending, so there would be nowhere forBarbie 2to take her character development. She already grew from an anxious, cellulite-plagued Barbie into a happy, self-confident human being. There’s no real reason to continue that story (other than the billion dollars it would make for Warner Bros., that is).
Usually, a movie about a character who leaves behind a fantasy world for the real world can flip the script in its sequel. ButBarbieexplored both premises in the same movie. After Barbie first goes to the real world, she brings backAmerica Ferrera’s Gloria and her daughter, Sasha, soBarbie 2can’t use that concept. It would certainly be possible to crank out a story idea forBarbie 2, whether the other Barbies follow Stereotypical Barbie to the real world or the Kens once again attempt to consolidate power, but it wouldn’t add anything substantial to the story.
The first movie already said everything it needed to say. It covers everything from feminism to existentialism with plenty to say about womanhood, body image, the patriarchy, mothers and daughters, self-identity, and even the lofty philosophical subject of the human condition.Barbie 2would inevitably be a hollow re-tread of the first movie, tackling the same themes and peddling the same messages, existing only to cash in on its predecessor’s runaway box office success.
What Would Barbie 2 Without Gerwig Or Robbie Look Like?
Gerwig has said that it would “certainly be exciting” to explore Barbie Land further in a sequel, while Robbie has said that planning for sequels can be “a trap” (via theEconomic Times). Neither of the two major talents involved inBarbiehas made a solid commitment to return for a potential sequel. Whether or not Gerwig is interested in working on aBarbiesequel, she’s signed on to directat least two movies based onThe Chronicles of Narniabooksfor Netflix, and Warners likely won’t want to wait until she’s done to makeBarbie 2– they’ll want to strike while the iron is hot (i.e. right now). As for Robbie, following her rocky experiences with the DC Extended Universe, she might not be eager to get locked into another long-running franchise.
Based on the numbers,Barbiewill probably be getting a sequel whether Gerwig and Robbie are involved or not. But makingBarbie 2without Gerwig or Robbie would be a huge mistake. It was Gerwig’s lively, inventive direction andRobbie’s sinceritythat madeBarbieso great, not the I.P. itself. ABarbiesequel with more involvement from Mattel and less involvement from Gerwig and Robbie could end up being the soulless corporate product that many viewers feared the first film would be.
