Having resigned to the fact that Hollywood is squarely focused on strong IPs to make their movies instead of original stories, I think I know a great follow-up to Greta Gerwig’s smash hitBarbie.Barbiewas an unexpected box office hit. While the film was based on a popular property, with the incredible Margot Robbie starring, and Gerwig directing, the level of success for the film was a total surprise as the movie racked up an enormous $1.4 billion (viaBox Office Mojo), alongside releasing on the same day as Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning filmOppenheimer, which managed to rack up a high box office of its own.
However, it clearly set a precedent, with all eyes on what could come next in that niche genre of films based on nostalgic toys. While video game movies are carving out their corner of the market, and superhero movies appear to be fluctuating between billion-dollar hits and barely scraping together a few hundred million, the toy film market is just beginning. And there is aperfect follow-up forBarbiethat could perform well if it gets the right actor and director involved.
A Max Steel Movie Would Be The Perfect Follow-Up To Barbie’s Success
It Could Be An Incredible Way To Build Out The Mattel Movie Franchise
Max Steel may not be on the same level as Barbie, but the character was an exciting counter that young boys often gravitated towards. While Barbie was there to dress up and play dream house,Max Steel was a true action figure, who was always ready to get into trouble. On par with heroes like James Bond, Max Steel was designed for kids, and he managed to build up a significant following in the late 1990s and 2000s.
8 Best Movies Like Barbie On Netflix
Netflix added Barbie to its streaming library in late 2024, and after watching the film, viewers can check out similar movies on the service.
Admittedly, the character is much more recent than Barbie, and it doesn’t have the same weight for kids across multiple generations, but there is a chance that aMax Steelmovie could match up and deliver something similarto whatBarbiedid. Whether it could effectively earn a billion dollars is perhaps ambitious, but ifthe Mattel universe of filmswas to have a crossover, and Barbie found herself stumbling into the world of Max Steel, things could get interesting.
Would A Self-Aware Max Steel Movie In The Style Of Barbie Work?
Barbie Nailed A Comedy Tone That Worked For The Toy Brought To Life
But even beyond the crossover, the concept of making a self-aware movie about this character does have some story potential. BeforeBarbiehit theaters, theactual contents of the movie were kept tightly under wraps. No one really knew what to expect, and the genius marketing ensured that the film was intriguing to a wide variety of audiences, even if the movie was plastered in pink, and about a doll that was primarily made to appeal to young girls.
But the way Gerwig handled the character turned the concept into an elaborate comedy that questioned the intention behind the doll, and the resulting good and bad that was done by it made it a must-watch movie. In a similar way,Max Steel was designed to try and target young boysin the early 2000s, and it doubled down on what it thought a boy should like and want to play with. Max Steel is an action hero with weapons, vehicles, huge pets, and he is constantly in danger. Having this character recognize the flaws in its design, and begin to question that could be a perfect companion story for Barbie.
There’s Already A Max Steel Movie, But It’s Nowhere Near As Good As Barbie
Max Steel Could Use A Makeover After The 2016 Movie Flop
Perhaps one issue that could arise in trying to make aMax Steelmovie to follow on from Barbie is the fact that there was already a movie made about it. Not just the kids' animated movies that were made for video and DVD either, but an actual, feature-length, live-action movie starring a talented cast of actors. The movie came out in 2016, and it was a box office bomb that failed to get any positive attention. This is evidently a night and day story compared withBarbie, but itdoes potentially mean that moviemakers will be less keen to approach such a project.
Would you want to see Barbie 2?
Apparently, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach have pitched a Barbie sequel to Warner Bros. I’m not really sure how to feel about this one. It just seems like the first movie was lightning in a bottle and impossible to top. The movie said everything it needed to say, and I worry about a sequel cheapening its value. Who knows, though, maybe it’ll be The Dark Knight of Barbie movies.
Undoubtedly, the marketing forBarbiewas a much larger effort, but the truth is, Barbie has always been a much bigger franchise than other dolls and action figures on the market. The universality of the product made it the perfect candidate for Gerwig’s film, and the results speak for themselves. However, if Max Steel is given the chance to get a similar film made, with a clear indication that it is a follow-up to Barbie, then it could have the potential to be a real hit.Max Steelcould be a greatMattel sequel toBarbie, but there is a lot standing in the way of its success.
