Karma Maseri woke up Thursday morning knowing that today was a special day. The “Barbie” movie is finally here.
Maselli, 26, and her group of about 25 friends began the festival by scavenging closets for light pants, polyester shirts and pink crocs to put together their outfits. Each doll represents a different doll such as Cowgirl Barbie, Sporty Barbie, Vintage Barbie, Malibu Barbie, and Mermaid Barbie.
Next up was a “Barbie Brunch” at a friend’s apartment in Brooklyn, with pink deviled eggs, pop tarts, beetroot pasta salad and pink salsa.
“It felt like the Super Bowl at our ‘Barbie Brunch,'” Maselli said. “We got together and it felt like we were having a holiday about girliness.”
By afternoon, the party arrived at the AMC in Manhattan’s Kip’s Bay for their much-anticipated movie. Although the screening was delayed by 25 minutes, applause erupted from the packed theater when the film began. People clapped, cheered, and laughed as the pink Warner Bros. logo appeared on the screen and Barbie dolls were introduced.
“It was great,” said Masseri as he came out of the theater. “I cried.”
Dressed in a hot pink tank top and shiny pink pants, Maselli was one of many New Yorkers at the premiere of Greta Gerwig’s blockbuster “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken.
Since Thursday afternoon, theaters across the country and even overseas have sold out seats with multicolored crowds, especially one color. Some held their favorite dolls in their hands, while others smiled and said, “Hello Barbie,” to their friends.
Many fans also opted for a double feature by watching both Barbie and Christopher Nolan’s biopic Oppenheimer, about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the creation of the atomic bomb. The unexpected combination of these two highly successful films of his made this summer’s film event and his biggest weekend box office since 2019.
“Just being in the theater gave me excitement, energy and joy,” said Stephen Solomon, 24, who saw “Barbie” at AMC Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side. “It felt like an event.”
Mary Albus, 28, walked into the AMC Kips Bay theater with a vintage Barbie doll she bought for her 21st birthday. Albus shares the doll with her group of friends, the “Sisterhood of Traveling Barbie,” and passes it from one of her friends to another. Vintage Barbie was at her friend’s wedding in North Carolina. She has also been to Chicago, Pennsylvania, etc.
It so happened that the “Barbie” movie was shown between Albus and the doll’s turn.
“They were like, ‘I have to take her to the Barbie movies,'” Albus said.
Mae Harf said watching the film with her 9-year-old daughter Aria was a bonding event and a way to celebrate women’s empowerment. They both wore matching white and pink “Barbie” T-shirts.
“It’s like a new-generation movie where women can be independent without getting married, and they don’t have to compromise on anything,” Half said.
Other fans who saw the film also resonated with the film’s theme of female empowerment.
Sadie Veach, 23, who wore a pink pantsuit and pink eyeliner, said, “This movie in particular was a really great commentary on not only how hard it is to be a woman, but how beautiful it can be at the same time, and the dichotomy that exists in being a woman.” Beach’s friend Taylee Mathis, 25, was wearing a pink shirt and pants and carrying a skateboard. She said she loves Barbie dolls and grew up watching animated Barbie movies and wearing Barbie-like clothes.
“She’s more than just pink,” Mathis said. “With a Barbie doll, you can be whoever you want to be.”
Maansi Srivastava contributed to the report.
