Summary

  • Despite recent box office failures, Margot Robbie's role in the successful film Barbie has restored her box office reputation and reaffirmed her star status.
  • Barbie's massive box office success, including becoming Warner Bros.' biggest hit and suring records, compensates for Robbie's previous flops and solidifies her position in Hollywood.
  • Robbie's ability to carry a movie to over $1 billion, along with her talent, experience, and collaborations with renowned directors and actors, proves her value and popularity in the industry.

After suffering a box office losing streak since COVID, Barbie has redeemed Margot Robbie's latest run of movies. Despite Robbie's popularity, her most recent films haven't had quite as much success at the box office as some of her earlier movies. The likes of The Wolf of Wall Street and the first Suicide Squad helped cement Robbie as a box office draw. Her growth in popularity over the years has made her one of the biggest names in cinema yet; however, her recent box office record (before Barbie) isn't exactly indicative of that. Since COVID-19, Robbie has failed to have many major hits, until Barbie arrived.

Barbie's arrival at the box office - alongside Oppenheimer - led to massive triumph for everyone involved. Barbie secured the biggest box office of 2023, making it the standout film of the year. It looks unlikely anything will sur it in 2023, highlighting Robbie's return to form. While it may have blown box office expectations out of the water, Barbie is the first time Robbie has starred in a massive success in several years. Some received positive critical scores which rivaled that of Barbie, but their box office numbers, on the other hand, left much to be desired.

Margot Robbie Had Bad Luck At The Box Office Before Barbie

Margot Robbie as Nellie LaRoy crying in Babylon

Margot Robbie's poor performance at the box office stems mostly from three movies. Babylon is one of Robbie's most notorious flops, failing to make back its budget. Despite this, the movie has fairly positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes with Stephen King even praising Margot Robbie's Babylon. It even received Oscar nominations in several categories, underscoring the film's positives. As for Amsterdam, it failed at the box office and received overwhelmingly bad reviews, and the controversy surrounding the director, David O. Russell, couldn't have helped the situation.

The Suicide Squad is another example of a Margot Robbie movie that failed to take off. Despite boasting a better Rotten Tomatoes score than Barbie, it flopped at the box office. This was largely down to COVID hindering ticket sales with the film becoming HBO Max's most-watched DC movie less than a month after its release. One silver living during this period for Robbie was 2021's Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, which was a box office hit. The film went on to make triple its budget and was one of her highest-grossing movies until Barbie's release.

Barbie's $1 Billion+ Box Office Made Up For Her Recent Flops

Margot Robbie singing in Barbie

While she may have had these recent financial flops, Barbie's impressive box office makes up for these shortcomings. The movie has been breaking record after record, including Barbie becoming Warner Bros. biggest hit. Managing to beat the final installment of the Harry Potter franchise highlights just how big of a surprise the movie has been for the studio. It's already become the 15th highest-grossing movie of all time and has room to climb a few spots higher. All the film's achievements help restore Robbie's box office reputation and put an end to her post-COVID record.

With a $1 billion movie under Robbie's belt, it'll be easier for her previous box office failures to fade from memory. Given she has a prominent role in the DC franchise as Harley Quinn, Robbie's portrayal of another iconic character being so successful and well-received reaffirms her star status. Mattel has already begun launching its own cinematic toy universe with a Hot Wheels movie in the works. As a result, Barbie 2 seems inevitable, creating the potential for Robbie to star in another $1 billion hit. With two well-known, profitable characters, Robbie's box office potential can't be disputed and will hopefully allow her to continue taking on more financially risky projects.

Why Margot Robbie Was Still A Huge Name Despite Her Box Office FailuresMargot Robbie As Harley Quinn Smiling In The Rain In The Suicide Squad

The recent bad run from Robbie hasn't diluted her name value as she remains a huge star. Barbie helped show exactly why as under the right circumstances, she is able to help carry a movie to over $1 billion. Barbie's popularity as a franchise as well as its marketing helped immensely, but the actress had a lot to do with what ultimately sold the movie on audiences. Robbie has also worked with some of the most notable names in cinema including directors like Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese. She has also starred alongside Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith, showing she has the talent and experience to hang with the biggest names in Hollywood.

Barbie acted as a reminder as to how popular Robbie is, with previous box office failures being down to factors outside of her acting ability. Further highlighting how valuable she is to Hollywood is the fact that Margot Robbie reportedly earned over $50 million for Barbie. Her streak of flops didn't hinder her ability to get roles or make money, which goes to show that even the biggest names can have financial failures. Between Harley Quinn and Barbie, Robbie looks to have several years' worth of highly marketable project that will continue to show her star status. The success of Barbie will make her one of the biggest names in cinema for years to come.