Hi Barbie! Netflix goes full Barbenheimer as forgotten Barbie show storms its TV charts
Not even Netflix can escape Barbenheimer’s gravitational pull
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It turns out that the world’sbest streaming serviceisn’t immune to the effects of Barbenheimer.
That’s right – not evenNetflixcan escape the worldwide movie phenomenon. Per the latest update toNetflix’s global top 10 TV chart, a long-forgotten Barbie TV series has been given a second life on the streaming giant. Unsurprisingly, its unexpected return is due to the unparalleled success of Barbenheimer, aka the cultural behemoth that saw theBarbiemovie andOppenheimersimultaneously launch in cinemas on July 21.
As revealed yesterday (August 1),Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse– a web series that began airing onYouTubein May 2012 – surprisingly stormed the Netflix charts for the week running July 24 to 30. According to Netflix’s in-house data,Life in the Dreamhouseseason 1 was watched by 1.9 million users across that seven-day period.
That might not sound too impressive, but it was enough to makeLife in the Dreamhousethe sixth most-streamed Netflix show of the week. For comparison,The Witcherseason 3 volume 2, which arrived on July 27, was the most-watched series last week, with 7.8 million subscribers tuning in to seeHenry Cavill bid farewell to his time as Geralt of Rivia.
Barbie: Life in the Dreamhousewas so popular, in fact, that it saw off competition from other hit Netflix shows.Cocomelonseason 8 struggled to compete, with the massively successful kids TV show being viewed 1.7 million times during the same period.Quarterbackseason 1,Fatal Seductionseason 1, andMark Normand: Soup to Nutsalso failed to see offLife in the Dreamhouse.
Further underlying the show’s unexpected success was how close it came to usurping some of thebest Netflix showsaround, as well as other popular new releases.Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse’s first season was just 300,000 views short of surpassingSurvival of the Thickestseason 1, though it did beat the comedy series in the hours-viewed column, with 9.1 million hours streamed compared to eight million.Life in the Dreamhousewas 1.2 million views short of beatingThe Lincoln Lawyerseason 2 part 1 to fourth spot on the list, too, and only 1.3 million views behindToo Hot to Handleseason 3.
Life in plastic really is fantastic
Of course,Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse’s surprise return from the dead wouldn’t have been possible without theBarbiemovie’s box office dominance.
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The Margot Robbie-starring fantasy film, which was one of our most anticipatednew moviesof 2023 ahead of its release, is one of the highest-grossing flicks of the year so far. According toBox Office Mojo,Barbiehas earned nearly $800 million (as of August 2) worldwide. OnlyGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3($845.3 million) andThe Super Mario Bros. Movie($1.35 billion) stand betweenBarbieand the coveted number one spot. As long as other big film releases – includingOppenheimer,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, andThe Meg 2– don’t eat into its ticket sales,Barbieshould earn enough to knockMariooff his perch.
Even if it doesn’t,Barbie’s impact on the wider entertainment industry is clear to see. There’s no way that other licensed Barbie products, whether that’s a dormant web series or a poorly received Barbie video game, would have been given new leases of life without their live-action movie namesake.Life in the Dreamhouse’s re-emergence is proof of that. And, while its successful return will be a fleeting one at best, it’ll surely touch those who created and worked on the series in the early 2010s. That’s as much of a win toLife in the Dreamhouse’s cast and crew as theBarbiemovie’s success is to its own talent.
For more Netflix-based coverage, read up on thebest Netflix moviesandbest Netflix documentaries. Alternatively, find outwhenBarbiemight arrive on Max, HBO Max’s streaming successor, andwhy Barbenheimer was one writer’s favorite theater-going experienceof the year.
As TechRadar’s senior entertainment reporter, Tom covers all of the latest movies, TV shows, and streaming service news that you need to know about. You’ll regularly find him writing about the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and many other topics of interest.
An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Tom also writes reviews, analytical articles, opinion pieces, and interview-led features on the biggest franchises, actors, directors and other industry leaders. You may see his quotes pop up in the odd official Marvel Studios video, too, such as thisMoon Knight TV spot.
Away from work, Tom can be found checking out the latest video games, immersing himself in his favorite sporting pastime of football, reading the many unread books on his shelf, staying fit at the gym, and petting every dog he comes across.
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