Greta Gerwig could not help her curiosity as she headed out to different theatres to see how the audiences were receiving her blockbuster movie, Barbie.
In a conversation during a special screen talk on Sunday at the BFI London Film Festival, the director, 40, told The Hollywood Reporter about her own covert field research during the film’s opening weekend in July.
“I went around to different theatres and sort of stood in the back, and would then also turn up the volume up if I felt it wasn’t playing at the perfect level,” she told the outlet.
Gerwig recalled a particular screening where she heard one woman howl with laughter over the joke about the Proust Barbie, one of the numerous specific one-liners she inserted in the film.
“And I was like: ‘That joke was for you!’”
Barbie has gone on to break numerous records, amassing more than $1.4 billion, making it the highest-grossing film of 2023. Per the outlet, it is also Warner Bros.’ highest-grossing film of all time and the highest-grossing film by a solo female director.
Gerwig went on to share that the film was “the most joyful” experience she’s ever had on a set. “So, I thought, if I can make a movie that is half as fun to watch as it was to make, I think maybe we’ve got a shot.”