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In the post-COVID economic doldrums, film studios have had a tough time trying to lure people back to movie theaters: Witness the summer box office struggles of the new 

 movies. So Warner Bros. studios and Mattel have set out to create a hot pink movie marketing machine to build excitement for the new 

“This is a test case in how to perfectly market a movie,” says Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore, a company with expertise in box office numbers. But even before those numbers are in, he says the film has succeeded in dominating the cultural conversation with product tie-ins, viral social media buzz and meme-worthy experiences — cost-effective marketing that goes beyond the traditional movie promos.

Airbnb has listed “Barbie's Malibu Dream House,”

 a real-life three-story mansion painted hot pink. There’s a swimming pool with a tall curvy pink slide, a glittery outdoor dance floor, disco roller rink and lots of closets. 

Then there are the 100 or more brand collaborations: from 

Lead actor Margot Robbie has been crisscrossing the globe in classic Barbie garb for the film’s promotional blitz. She and the film’s director Greta Gerwig lead an 

during which Robbie gushes, “Even though it’s fake, it’s beautiful, which is like everything in Barbieland.”

 to create viral memes. And at a real-life shopping mall in Santa Monica, fans have been experiencing the 

 an Instagram-friendly pop up with a life-sized Barbie camper van, space station and music recording studio.

 franchises, Mattel is poised to leverage its intellectual property into a cinematic universe. 

, “My thesis was that we needed to transition from being a toy-manufacturing company, making items, to an I.P. company, managing franchises.”

NPR reached out to Warner Bros. and Mattel for comment about its 

marketing strategy, but didn’t hear back.

The conventional wisdom is that if an escapist movie about the 64-year-old Barbie doll is a hit, Mattel’s 

With its trailers and soundtrack (with songs by Nicki Minaj, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and others), 

marketing plan seems to be resonating with the culture

”The zeitgeist is a post-COVID world that seems very scary, at war, dark. And 

 is the opposite of that,” says Kevin Sandler, an associate professor of film and media studies at Arizona State University. “Everywhere you look, you see this buy-in from 

, whether it’s on social media or through all these brands. And it probably makes you really happy.”

 boom seems to be benefiting another film premiering the same weekend; 

, about the creation of the atomic bomb. 

“It’s Mattel versus the Manhattan Project and BarbenHeimer; It’s very fun,” Dergarabedian says of the mashup. “That just means that this is going viral, and that’s good news for both 

But some cynics complain the surplus pink Barbie marketing “tsunami” is suffocating. “Is anyone else feeling bullied into being excited about the Barbie movie?” 

The film’s slogan hints at the tightrope it’s walking: “If you love Barbie, this movie is for you. If you hate Barbie, this movie is for you.” It could be a nostalgic love letter or an ironic wink to those of us who grew up with nonconforming feminist moms who didn’t appreciate blonde, blue-eyed Barbie’s impossible figure. The 

 show a more inclusive Barbie world that doesn’t take itself too seriously, with the fashionista literally stopping the dance floor by asking, “You guys ever think about dying?”

Barbie’s reviews aren’t out yet, but the movie is expected to be No. 1 at the box office next week. So we’ll soon know if pink really is the color of money.

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Warner Bros. and Mattel set out to create a movie marketing machine — including more than 100 brand collabs and viral social media campaigns — to build excitement for the film’s July 21 release.

'Barbie' is pretty in pink — but will she also be profitable?

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