Greta Gerwig's 'Barbie' Makes History as Sole Billion-Dollar Blockbuster Directed by a Woman

The film "Barbie" is set to join the billion-dollar club worldwide, according to estimates from Warner Bros. This achievement makes director Greta Gerwig the only woman to have sole credit for directing a billion-dollar film.

While a few other women have shared directing credit for movies that grossed over a billion dollars, such as "Frozen" and "Frozen II" co-directed by Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, and "Captain Marvel" co-directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Gerwig stands as the sole female director in the billion-dollar club.

The majority of billion-dollar films tend to be male-oriented and franchise-driven. Among the 53 films that have crossed the billion-dollar mark, only nine have female protagonists. This includes animated films like "Finding Dory," "Frozen," "Frozen II," and "Beauty and the Beast," as well as "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," "Captain Marvel," "Titanic," and the live-action "Alice in Wonderland."

While having successful movies with strong female characters is positive, the fact that only 18% of billion-dollar films center around women and girls highlights the gender imbalance in Hollywood. The choice of Hollywood to allocate big budgets and marketing efforts to certain types of films reflects the industry's culture and history, rather than just market forces.

"Barbie" has seen strong support from female audiences, with women making up a significant percentage of ticket buyers during its opening weekends. However, the lack of female representation in the billion-dollar club and the low number of women nominated for Oscars in the best director category illustrate the challenges that women directors still face in the industry.

Despite improvements in female representation in television and film over the years, the biggest studio-backed films still lag behind in achieving gender parity. The success of "Barbie" and its impact on these numbers remains to be seen, but it could potentially signal a positive shift in the right direction.