Jane Campion just received the prestigious Pardo d’Onore Manor Award for lifetime achievement at the 77th Locarno Film Festival. In addition to accepting the honor, the acclaimed New Zealand director took time to speak with the press about a range of topics, including the remarkable success of Greta Gerwig’s Barbie. The 2024 movie schedule hasn’t produced anything quite like the viral Barbenheimer phenomenon of summer 2023, which is now even being turned into its own film. Still, Campion discussed how the Mattel-based flick’s billion-dollar triumph could impact the future of women’s budgets in Hollywood.
This time last summer, Greta Gerwig's Barbie took the world by storm, surpassing expectations at the box office,. It ultimately earned billions globally, racked up a ton of Oscar nominations, and solidified its place as one of the best movies of 2023. The fantasy-comedy flick's success extended far beyond its toy-based origins, as it reshaped the concept of what a movie based on a children's brand could be. This achievement also secured Gerwig’s position in cinematic history as the only solo female director to reach the billion-dollar milestone.
Jane Campion, the acclaimed director of films like The Piano and The Power of the Dog, discussed the broader impact of Ms. Gerwig’s success during her interview at the Locarno Film Festival. She highlighted how the movie’s triumph has significant implications for female directors, particularly in gaining access to substantial budgets in Tinseltown’s traditionally male-dominated landscape. Campion noted (via The Hollywood Reporter) that Gerwig...:
…doing the Barbie story … fantastic. Because for once, we’ve got a film that is not Marvel hero characters, but a sort of humorous and very creative and funny take on the Barbie mental story.
The Bright Star helmer’s comments highlight a broader shift in Hollywood, where female-led and female-directed projects finally gain the financial backing traditionally reserved for their male counterparts. Barbie helped prove that a female director could not only handle a big-budget film but could also deliver a blockbuster that resonates on a global scale. According to Jane Campion, this success could pave the way for more women to helm major projects in the future. She continued:
She’s the first woman that has really made the historical bundle out of it, she got into the billions. It’s fantastic. It just means that women [will] be trusted with money, finally.
The significance of the Margot Robbie-led film's success can't be overstated. Many have long discussed the disparity that's been present between funding for female-headed productions and male-fronted ones. In many cases, the former are relegated to lower-budget projects regardless of the talent attached. Greta Gerwig’s ability to turn her fantastical romp into a box office juggernaut could mark a turning point, encouraging studios to invest in more women-led projects with the confidence that they can deliver both artistically and financially.
While it's uncertain whether Barbie's blockbuster breakthrough will bring lasting change, the future for women in Hollywood seems promising, with influential figures also advocating for progress like Jane Campion. One would hope that true change will take shape at some point. As for right now, it's great to see Campion, who made history with Power of the Dog as the first female-directed film to receive more than ten Academy Award nominations and became the first woman to earn multiple Best Director nominations, continue to make her voice heard.
Barbie is available to stream now with a Max subscription. And using a Netflix subscription, you can also see Jane Campion’s Academy Award-winning flick, The Power of the Dog.
