Let’s just get this out of the way, I truly believe Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbachcould make something great with her upcoming film “Barbie.” No, really. They are true talents that have the wit and cinematic instinct to pull it off.
With that said, even she knows that “Barbie” is a risk. I mean, Amy Schumer, of all people, dropped out because of her “busy schedule.” Gerwig took over, penned the screenplay with partner Baumbach, and cast Margot Robbie/Ryan gosling in the lead roles.
Gerwig is scared of “Barbie.”
“It was terrifying,” Gerwig told Dua Lipa when she guested on her podcast on Friday “I think there’s something about starting from that place where it’s like, ‘Well, anything is possible!’ It felt like vertigo starting to write it. Like, where do you even begin? What would be the story? “[…]I think it was that feeling I had that it would be really interesting terror,” Gerwig continued. “Usually, that’s where the best stuff is. When you’re like, ‘I am terrified of that.’ Anything where you’re like, ‘This could be a career-ender,’ then you’re like, ‘OK, I probably should do it.’”
“Barbie” has a budget of $100 million. That’s quite a lot of dough, especially when you consider Gerwig’s first two films (“Lady Bird,” “Little Women”) didn’t cost all that much to make.
I presume a big chunk of that budget will be going straight to Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie’s pockets. The rest? I’m tempted to say a significant amount was spent on the “Barbie” production design.
Will “Barbie” even make enough money to break even at the box-office? That’s still a major question mark. It’s a risk Warner Bros seems to want to take.
If we want to compare, Christopher Nolan’s upcoming “Oppenheimer” cost around $100 million as well. Nolan left Warners last year due to some theatrical exhibition dispute. Which is the riskier summer 2023 release? “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”? At least Nolan has a massive fanbase, Gerwig is just starting out. I’m betting “Oppenheimer” makes much more money.