Warner Bros confirms Barbie digital release date amid online confusion

Ryan Gosling as Ken in Barbie
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Since Barbie was released in cinemas back in July, it's earned well over $1 billion the global box-office but those who aren't able to get to theaters, or movie fans who would simply rather watch stuff at home, have been itching to know when the super successful comedy will come out digitally. 

Well, Warner Bros. has now confirmed it'll be available to buy or rent from September 12  – and good thing, too, as fans on Twitter were recently swept up in some confusion regarding its online premiere. 

As London-based reporter Luiz Fernando pointed out in a tweet, Barbie's original digital release date was today (September 5), but was pushed back seven days just last week. Now, though, the likes of Prime Video and Apple TV Plus are no longer displaying that date, which lead Fernando to speculate that Warner Bros. had delayed it even further to keep it in cinemas for longer.

"Physical homevideo is now currently scheduled only to JAN 2, 2024," he continued. "And absolutely no word about its debut to stream at no extra cost on Max so far. Someone at the company finally realised they have a #TopGunMaverick in their hands, and might finally start treating Barbie as such."

In the replies, a Germany-based follower stated that Barbie was still listed as releasing on September 12 in their region, to which Fernando replied: "They might not have updated yet, most sites already changed it. YouTube in the US and here in the U.K. have both already changed it from SEP 12 to 'date not announced'. iTunes also has changed and has no specific date anymore." Looks like it was all just a technological mix-up...

Directed by Greta Gerwig, Barbie sees Barbie leave Barbie Land in search of the girl who's playing with her in the Real World. Instead, the plastic gal winds up discovering what true happiness is – and finds her independence along the way – while stowaway Ken (Ryan Gosling) learns all about the patriarchy. Uh oh. Emma Mackey, Ncuti Gatwa, America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, and Will Ferrell round out the supporting cast.

Barbie is still showing in select cinemas worldwide. For more, check out our list of the most exciting upcoming movies heading our way throughout 2023 and beyond.

Amy West

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.