Barbie to release in Imax featuring exclusive ‘special new footage’

Barbie is getting a one-week Imax release in North America and select locations around the world.

Greta Gerwig‘s critically acclaimed film, which was originally released last month, will be shown in Imax theatres on 22 September. The forthcoming showings will feature exclusive post-credits footage selected by the director.

The news of the release was announced on Wednesday (23 August).

“We made Barbie for the big screen, so it’s a thrill to be able to bring it to Imax, the biggest screen of all,” Gerwig said in a statement to Variety. “As a special thanks to Barbie fans, we’re excited to share a little bit more of our cast and crew’s incredible work by adding special new footage we hope audiences will enjoy.”

Warner Bros executives Jeff Goldstein, president of domestic distribution, and Andrew Cripps, president of international distribution, added: “If there was one thing missing in this winning Barbie strategy, it was being able to put Greta’s singular vision on premium Imax screens over the uber-competitive summer corridor.”

Heading into its sixth weekend in release, Barbie continues to draw packed audiences around the world.

“We are so pleased to give them a chance to see Barbie, whether for the first or fifth time, in such an experiential format as Imax,” said Cripps.

Richard Gelfond, CEO of Imax Corporation, also issued his own statement about the release, saying: “For all of us in the exhibition community, it’s been exciting to watch an original film like Barbie become an unparalleled critical and commercial success this summer.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Greta and her filmmaking team and our friends at Warner Bros to deliver this special edition of Barbie with never-before-seen footage exclusively to Imax audiences around the world.”

Australian actor Margot Robbie, 33, leads Gerwig’s movie as the titular Barbie, who must venture out into the real world to find her true purpose in life. Ryan Gosling plays Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken, while Kate McKinnon, Issa Rae, and Simu Liu feature as other iterations of Ken and Barbie. America Ferrera and Will Ferrell star as humans.

As of 14 August, Barbie earned $1.18bn (£982m) in revenue globally, securing its place as the highest-grossing release for a female director in history.

The film was well received by fans and critics.The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey branded it “a near-miraculous achievement from Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie” in her five-star review.

Following Barbie’s undeniable success, Mattel has announced plans for 17 more films about its other toys, games and brands.