Warner Bros. Pictures, the movie studio that distributed the live-action Barbie movie, dropped some exciting news on Wednesday.
The American film production and distribution company announced that the Barbie movie, which is projected to be the highest-grossing release of 2023, will get a one-week-only run on IMAX screens at IMAX theaters across North America and at select international markets.
According to Variety, the limited one-week engagement will commence on September 22. The release at IMAX theaters will also include exclusive new post-credits footage selected by Oscar-nominated director Greta Gerwig, who directed the Barbie movie.
The announcement was made on August 23 by Warner Bros. executives Jeff Goldstein, the president of domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, the president of international distribution.
The pair’s statement also included a few words from Gerwig, who turned 40-years-old earlier this month.
Barbie IMAX release: Warner Bros. Pictures announced on Wednesday that the Barbie movie will get a one-week-only run on IMAX screens across North America and at select international markets
Barbie: The Barbie Movie stars Margot Robbie (right) and Ryan Gosling (left) as Barbie and Ken respectively
Director’s choice: All of the new post-credits footage featured in the Barbie movie for its upcoming release in IMAX theaters was selected by Greta Gerwig, the film’s director (Gerwig is seen here at the film’s premiere in Australia)
‘We made ‘Barbie’ for the big screen, so it’s a thrill to be able to bring it to Imax, the biggest screen of all, Gerwig said.
‘As a special thanks to ‘Barbie’ fans, we’re excited to share a little bit more of our cast and crew’s incredible work by adding special new footage we hope audiences will enjoy.’
In addition to her duties as the film’s director, Gerwig also co-wrote the screenplay with her partner and fellow filmmaker Noah Baumbach.
In the statement, both Goldstein and Cripps gave the Oscar-nominated director, a bunch of credit for the ‘vision’ of the film’s release on the IMAX screens and also highlighted the movie’s worldwide popularity over the summer.
‘If there was one thing missing in this winning Barbie strategy, it was being able to put Greta’s singular vision on premium Imax screens over the uber-competitive summer corridor.’ Goldstein and Cripps said.
That Barbie continues to draw packed audiences around the world heading into its sixth weekend in release speaks to the quality of the film and the excitement audiences have for the story. We are so pleased to give them a chance to see Barbie, whether for the first or fifth time, in such an experiential format as Imax.’
The Barbie film, which stars Oscar-nominated actress Margot Robbie as the titular character and Oscar-nominated actor Ryan Gosling as Ken, was released on July 21.
The plot follows Barbie and Ken on a journey of self-discovery in the real world following their expulsion from the Barbie Land. The movie also stars America Ferrera, Will Ferrell, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon, and Rhea Perlman in supporting roles.
All-Star Cast: In addition Robbie (far left) and Gosling (not in photo), the film’s all-star cast includes the likes of America Ferrera (behind on the far right next to Issa Rae), Will Ferrell (not in the photo), Issa Rae (second from the left behind Robbie), Kate McKinnon (not in the photo), and Rhea Perlman (not in the photo)
The plot: The film’s plot follows Barbie and Ken on a journey of self-discovery in the real world following their expulsion from the Barbie Land
The announcement of the live-action Barbie film’s upcoming release in IMAX theaters on September 22 comes following Gerwig’s recent bombshell confession that she tried to get actors Timothée Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan make cameo appearances in the Barbie film, but scheduling conflicts barred them from doing so.
‘Both [Timothée and Saoirse] couldn’t do it and I was so annoyed. But I love them so much. But it felt like doing something without my children. I mean, I’m not their mom, but I sort of feel like their mom,’ Gerwig said.
The 40-year-old director even said that during production for Barbie, Chalamet made a special visit to the set of her live-action Barbie movie and not only expressed interest in the film, but seemed disappointed that he wasn’t cast.
”Timothée did come by the set [during production] and then said, ‘I should have been in [the Barbie movie],’ And I was like, ‘I know! Why aren’t you in this?” Gerwig said.
Had the cameo appearances of Chalamet and Ronan in the Barbie movie worked out, it would have been the third time that the pair worked together on a project with Gerwig.
The trio previously worked together in the 2017 film Lady Bird (Gerwig’s directorial debut) and the 2019 film Little Women.
