“Where does the budget of a movie go?” You may ask. Sometimes it’s very much evident on screen. It could be location shooting, grandiose special effects, or the names attached to the picture. Big names often demand big paychecks. And when those names have made a previous film successful, they often want more. Well, not just them. Their talent agencies, managers; everybody wants in. That seems to be a big reason why we haven’t seen that follow-up to Barbie just yet.
“Barbie”
Warner Bros. Pictures
This July marked three years since Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling took on the roles of Barbie and Ken respectively. They led the movie to a box office gross of nearly $1.5 billion dollars. It was also a big win for the writer and director, Greta Gerwig. But Gerwig never wrote the project to necessarily be part of a major franchise of films. Additionally, Warner Bros, who distributed the film, didn’t plan it as a part of something bigger. Reportedly, they didn’t lock anyone down for sequels in their contracts. That’s something much more common these days when everything is supposed to be part of a marketing machine.
Virtually everyone involved in the first movie sees not doing a sequel film as leaving money on the table. When a film on a legendary toy brand makes that much money on one film, surely there’s more to tap into. But this also means that everyone involved can argue they deserve more money for bringing a second film to life. Gosling’s request for $20 million and a percentage of profits was singled out. David Zaslav, the head of Warner Bros. Discovery doesn’t seem to want to shell out that kind of cash. And with the potential acquisition by Paramount Skydance still aways off, he’s still calling the shots. Let’s not forget, Zaslav is the same man who had no problem scrapping completely finished films as tax write-offs.
“Barbie”
Warner Bros. Pictures
The co-chairs of Warner Bros. film division, Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca stated, “We have a rights deal with Mattel in place and have made a series of big offers to try and finalize deals to make the next ‘Barbie’ film. Unfortunately, we have been unable to reach an agreement thus far.” Time is ticking though. They only have until December to get something moving otherwise the Barbie film rights revert to Mattel.
It’s possible that Zaslav is weary because Warner Bros. has been burned before by a surefire sequel. Remember Joker: Folie à Deux? The first Joker film made over a billion dollars on a budget as high as only $70 million. The sequel made just over $200 million while costing about the same to make. That’s a massive loss on its own. It’s even worse when you take into account what projections would’ve meant to the execs and shareholders. Maybe they’re afraid lightning won’t strike twice and they want to minimize their loss potential.
The Barbie film proved that the doll still has life in her, decades removed from her creation. Will we see a new film? :Sure, eventually. Will it be with Robbie and Gosling? We’re also guessing yes. It may not be with Warner Bros. though. It’s a story with millions of dollars on the line and we’ll keep you informed as it progresses.
