The Barbie Movie Is Proof Audiences Crave Original Content

Barbie is the movie audiences need right now. Bubbly, charismatic, and fun, the feature film also remembers to include substance in its runtime. Greta Gerwig has created a movie that reminds people of the joy of original content.

In a world of sequels, reboots, and remakes, Barbie is something entirely different. Barbie has broken records with its release, and given how this is an original project, there is plenty of excitement to remind the world that there are still individual projects out there that can thrill audiences.

Franchises have dominated the screen for a long time, from long-running series such as Harry Potter to the continuing Marvel Cinematic Universe. Barbie is not an action thriller comic book adaptation. It is not a Disney live-action remake or another Fast and Furious film. It is not another Star Wars prequel or Pixar sequel.

Instead, the movie succeeds in comedy that understands its audience and its characters. It perfectly understands its emotional moments as well. But, maybe this is a sign for studios to start opening their eyes and paying attention.

Barbie is succeeding without needing a big-budget franchise to help it. While the iconic Mattel dolls are famously known around the world, this is not a movie limited to children. It is a movie that teenagers and adults will swarm to, not just because of the nostalgia, but because it is a movie about humanity that embraces all the fun and nuances of toy characters, in a completely different way than Toy Story.

Viewers have resigned themselves to the knowledge that studios have mostly given up on original content as sequels, reboots, and remakes continue making money for Hollywood. However, Barbie is evidence that studios need to widen the range of the stories they are willing to tell.

Original content is being craved in the aftermath of superhero fatigue. Barbie is a perfectly well-rounded cast with excellent writing that perfectly reflects the comical approaches and emotional beats necessary to connect with and care about the characters while balancing a fictional Barbieland and the real world.

Barbie and Oppenheimer’s simultaneous release, dubbed “Barbenheimer” is a window into the desire to see new and original stories in theaters, rather than relegating them to Netflix, Hulu, or other streaming services.

Barbie gives the audience the chance to immerse themselves in a new world while telling an original story. The movie’s success should be enough of a reason for studios to wake up and pay attention to the call for letting go of sequels, reboots, and remakes, to embark on a journey of creating original content.