Why Barbie flopped in South Korea

❘ Published: 2023-08-30T21:05:14

Warner Bros. Pictures

Barbie has been nothing short of a phenomenon at the global box office. But, one territory has not embraced the smart satire, with Greta Gerwig’s movie flopping in South Korea. Here’s why.

While busy breaking through the glass ceiling, Barbie has also been breaking a bunch of box office records as it races past $1 billion.

The film scored the biggest opening weekend for a non-sequel/remake/superhero movie, the biggest opening weekend for a film based on a toy, and it is now the highest grossing film directed by a woman.

But while western audiences have embraced Margot Robbie’s Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s Ken, South Korea has remained resolutely disinterested, with the film making less than $4 million since releasing nearly a month ago.

Why Barbie flopped in South Korea

Through analysis and interviews, trade website The Hollywood Reporter believes that Barbie bombed in South Korea due to its feminist messaging, and the toy’s lack of cultural footprint in the country.

“Star Wars didn’t do well in South Korea either because it’s not part of our culture,” Seoul-based journalist Moon So-Young tells THR. “We didn’t play with Barbie when we were growing up. We are familiar with Lego but not Barbie. Kids here these days don’t play with Barbie either. So there is no real fan base for Barbie in Korea.”

Seoul-based critic Min Yong-joon concurs, claiming: “The humor related to Ken dressed in western outfits dreaming of imaginary horses in the real world just did not translate here. The film had a very particular American context. The kitsch references also didn’t seem to communicate well.”

Is feminism holding Barbie back?

As scripted by director Gerwig and Noah Baumbach, Barbie has a strong feminist message. One that some commentators believe upset Korean viewers.

“Given how gender has been politicized and became a polarizing issue in Korea in the past few years, young people seem to be easily exhausted by discussions around gender,” cultural professor Kang Yu-jeong tells THR. “It’s such a sensitive topic for the younger generation – the film’s main target – that they want to avoid it entirely.”

At the same time, Kang believes the lack of that feminist message in trailers might have also been an issue, stating: “I think the film’s marketers have been too careful around the feminist subject. So even the audiences who could have taken more interest in the film didn’t know what the film was about. It was really in the gray zone.”

Either way, while the rest of the world is loving Barbie, South Korea is not.

Barbie is in cinemas now, and you can read more about the movie below: