‘Barbie’ Brought Millions Of People Back To The Theater For The First Time Since Before The Pandemic

Greta Gerwig’s Barbie has made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, but that might not even be the most impressive number associated with the movie.

A new survey from The Quorum, as reported by Puck, found that one in five Barbie moviegoers in America are “post-COVID newbies, meaning 22 percent either couldn’t recall the last film they saw in a theater, or it was the first film they’ve seen in a theater since the pandemic.” That means roughly nine million people made Barbie their first cinema experience since March 2020.

Barbie — which will cross $500 million at the domestic box office this weekend, putting it in the top 20 of all-time — might even get people to return to theaters more often. Might we suggest Killers of the Flower Moon

We wanted to know how these people felt about their return to theaters. Among this subset of ticket buyers, 40 percent said the experience reminded them how much they love going to the movies, and that they would go more often. Another 45 percent said they would go more often, but that cost is an issue. Only 15 percent said this was a one-off experience. It would take another Barbie-like film to get them to go back.

Heartbreak feels good in a place this (a screening of Barbie).