AS HER HIT FILM 'BARBIE' TAKES $1BN AT THE BOX OFFICE GRETA GERWIG THE RECORD-BREAKING DIRECTOR ON HER CAREER AND YOUNG FAMILY AS SHE TURNS 40 IN STYLE

'I don't know how all of this was possible, but it's filled with happiness'

- ROSALIND POWELL

As Barbie mania continues to sweep the globe, with the film claiming top spot at the UK box office for three weeks in a row, director Greta Gerwig has become the first solo female director to see one of her films earn more than $1bn (£785m).

The hit film achieved the impressive figure two days after Greta turned 40 - and just 17 days after being released in a blaze of glory to universal acclaim.

Warner Bros was delighted, having funded the film, which follows the story of the Mattel doll, played by Margot Robbie, as she leaves Barbieland with her hapless boyfriend Ken (Ryan Gosling) after suffering an existential crisis.

Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy, cochairs and co-chief executives of Warner Bros Motion Picture Group, said the film's success was "testament to Greta's brilliance and to her commitment to deliver a movie that Barbie fans of every age want to see".

If that were not enough excitement for one week, Greta was also feted on her 40th birthday with a surprise flashmob organised by Ryan. When the director was getting ready for what she thought was a Pilates class, a group of men burst into the studio and danced to one of the film's songs, I'm Just Ken.

In the video, which was posted on the film's official Instagram page, Greta can be seen laughing and wiping away tears.

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

One of the relatively low-profile director's biggest supporters has been Margot - a producer on the film who said in an interview: "I think my pitch in the greenlight meeting was that the studios have prospered so much when they've been brave enough to pair a big idea with a visionary director.

"And then I gave examples like 'dinosaurs and [Steven] Spielberg', pretty much naming anything that's been incredible and made a ton of money for the studios over the years.