The star-studded, upcoming “Barbie” film has brought the extremely lucrative brand that inspired it to the front and center.
Barbie, a 64-year-old brand owned by Mattel, has generated billions in gross billings or sales in the last five full fiscal years, hitting at least $1 billion in each of them, earnings releases put out by the California-based toy company showed.
It crossed the $1 billion-mark in annual gross sales in 2018 after having dipped below 10 figures for a few years. It brought in at least $1 billion in other years prior to 2015 as well.
In 2022, the most recent full fiscal year, Mattel reported the Barbie brand saw $1.49 billion in gross billings globally. That had been preceded by gross billings of $1.68 billion in 2021 and $1.35 billion in 2020, according to quarterly earning reports.
Gross billings “represent amounts invoiced to customers” and “does not include the impact of sales adjustments, such as trade discounts and other allowances,” according to Mattel.
Gross sales for Barbie came in at nearly $1.16 billion in 2019, 6.5% higher than the $1.09 billion it posted the year prior to that.
The official Barbie website described Barbie as the “most popular fashion doll ever produced.” People purchase over 100 Barbie dolls every 60 seconds, while one of her iconic pink Barbie Dreamhouse mansions goes every other minute, it said.
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The brand spans over 50 product categories, according to the Barbie website.
Mattel has made changes to the lineup of the $10.99 Barbie doll, including in 2016, when it introduced tall, curvy and petite body types, and the year before that, when upped the number of skin tones, eye colors and other attributes available for its dolls.
It has also expanded its representation in other ways, such as launching a Barbie with hearing aids and working with the National Down Syndrome Society on a Down syndrome doll.
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With the popular doll brand, there are 9 body types currently available, plus nearly three dozen skin tones and almost 100 hairstyles, according to a Mattel webpage about Barbie’s diversity.
Barbie’s resume has expanded to include over 250 different jobs, according to the Barbie website. She has worked as a doctor, president, pop star, hockey player, astronaut, teacher and chef to name a few.
Australian actress Margot Robbie will appear as her in the Greta Gerwig-directed “Barbie” movie. Ryan Gosling, meanwhile, is taking on Ken.
Mattel has, as CEO Ynon Kreiz said in the company’s most recent earnings call, been pursuing a “strategy to grow Mattel’s IP-driven toy business and expand our entertainment offering.” The upcoming “Barbie” film – a team-up between Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures – is part of that effort.
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“2023 in particular is going to be a legacy-making year particularly on the Barbie brand,” Kreiz later told investors and analysts on the call. “As we have all seen, this first-ever live action film has gotten incredible cultural conversation. From there, it is a catalyst to also drive meaningful extensions of the brand outside of the toy aisle as we’ve shared.”
The “Barbie” movie’s official debut will take place Friday. Projections have suggested the film could bring in a massive amount during its North American opening weekend, with Variety pegging estimates somewhere in the $95 million to $110 million range.
Some other familiar faces viewers will see in the “Barbie” movie include Will Ferrell, America Ferrera, Michael Cera and Kate McKinnon.