Barbie Set To Compete Against Lord Of The Rings

This isn’t all that surprising considering that Barbie has achieved notable success at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing release of 2023—it earned more than $1.4 billion, outperforming major movies such as Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Super Mario Bros.

However, its success isn’t limited to earnings alone. While the movie still isn’t officially nominated for the Academy Awards, its nomination isn’t outside the realm of possibilities. Considering the sheer success of the film, it might end up competing against The Lord of the Rings.  

For context, Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final installment in the LotR cinematic trilogy, wasn’t just a box office success; it also swept the Academy Awards. It ended up winning 11 (yes, you read that right: ELEVEN) Oscars, including the one for Best Picture.

This kind of dual success has been rare in the movie industry, with The Return of the King being a notable, most recent example of a movie that managed to excel both commercially and critically, thus bridging the gap between mass appeal and critical acclaim. And Barbie might do the same 20 years later.  

Traditionally, movies aimed at younger or more mainstream audiences haven’t been serious contenders for major awards, especially if they were based on a popular toy or franchise, and it’s really easy to understand why that was the case. Lord of the Rings doesn’t really fit that description, but Barbie does, which only underscores the significance of the film’s success. It challenged the norm and the narrative—and to be honest, it challenged many—on what makes a commercially viable and critically acclaimed movie.

As stated above, the movie still isn’t officially nominated, but that isn’t stopping the fandom and industry critics from discussing the aforementioned possibilities. The fact that Barbie could potentially compete for the same honors Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King has won serves as a testament to one of two things: either the movie is that good, or our standards are slowly going down by the day. Considering that Greta Gerwig has some critically acclaimed releases in her portfolio, we’d say it’s the former rather than the latter.

For some, Barbie will never reach the artistic heights of The Lord of the Rings, and that’s okay. While we shouldn’t judge the book by its covers—implying that we should pass judgment after reading—we don’t necessarily have to like the same stuff or approach entertainment in the same way. In the end, the numbers don’t lie, and Barbie’s massive success is ultimately owed to the overall quality of the narrative, the underlying message, and the directorial efforts of Greta Gerwig.