Barbie, the international film sensation by Warner Bros, is still attracting viewers in their hundreds, with Malta’s largest theatre reporting “full shows on most days” even three weeks after its premier.

Speaking to WhosWho.mt, Eden Leisure Group CEO Simon De Cesare says that the film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling is “by far the most popular film despite being a few weeks old”.

He reports that many viewers are coming back to see it a second time, with the film being a thought-provoking and at times controversial experience, not just an entertaining one.

“Barbie has sparked an interesting debate about male and female dominated worlds,” says Mr De Cesare.

“Many love it and many hate it, but everyone has to see it.”

The film has recently achieved a total international box office gross of over €1 billion, similar to other blockbusters like Spider Man: No Way Home (2021) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022), the latter of which was partly shot in Malta.

However, Mr De Cesare says that as far as Eden Cinemas is concerned, “it doesn’t compare”.

“Barbie has done more in three weeks than either of those films has done in their life at our cinemas.”

In fact, he describes seeing the “whole area buzzing with excitement” as “amazing”, noting that Barbie lends itself to a “great audience experience before, during and after the film”.

It was seen as “an excuse to dress up in pink and take photos”, and thousands made the most of this opportunity, says Mr De Cesare.

“Mattel spent more on marketing Barbie than it did on the actual film and it was clear that it was not lost on the public.”

Cinemas have been under pressure for some years now, with the improvement of the home-viewing experience and the proliferation of streaming services eating into its market. The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions put in place to limit the spread of the virus, then, piled further agony on the industry.

Asked whether the success of Barbie and that of Oppenheimer, a three-hour biographical thriller about the theoretical physicist who led the United States’ efforts to develop the atomic bomb – a markedly different beast – could be seen as a turning point of sorts for the industry, the Eden Leisure CEO takes a cautious approach.

“You have blockbusters that defy logic and expectations, and your have those that underwhelm too,” he says.

“When they do well, it makes for a great few months, but other risks remain, such as the writers and actors strike which will have a longer term impact on the films that are coming out.”

Despite the ups and downs, however, Mr De Cesare is sure of one thing: “Cinema is here to stay.”