Barbie world's empowerment fever extends to streaming world

CAINTA, Philippines — With legions of pink-clad moviegoers swarming theaters, Warner Bros.' "Barbie" conquered North American box offices in its debut weekend, raking in $155 million, Sunday estimates showed —  nearly double the cash of its second-place competitor.

The other half of the much-anticipated "Barbenheimer" cinematic weekend —  which saw Universal's much darker biopic "Oppenheimer" released the same day and spurred hundreds of thousands to organize their own double features -- brought in its own whopping $80.5 million, according to figures from Exhibitor Relations.

In streaming, in time for Barbie's women empowerment messages, HBO GO highlights its "leading ladies" from its hit show “And Just Like That…” (Season 2) and movies “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” “Ocean’s Eight,” and “Sucker Punch.”

From navigating a cosmopolitan life to crossing the multiverse, these stories have wildly different plotlines focusing on women’s empowerment and female characters with strength and resilience:

'And Just Like That'

The 11-episode second season of the Max Original series “And Just Like That…,” from executive producer Michael Patrick King, premiered with two episodes last June 22 on HBO GO. The following episodes premiere weekly on Thursdays.

Returning series regulars include Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Sara Ramírez, Sarita Choudhury, Nicole Ari Parker, Karen Pittman, Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Evan Handler, Christopher Jackson, Niall Cunningham, Cathy Ang, and Alexa Swinton.

'Everything Everywhere All At Once'

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” had a groundbreaking awards season this year, took home seven awards at the 95th Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), Best Actress (Michelle Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Ke Huy Quan), Best Supporting Actress (Jamie Lee Curtis), Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing.

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, “Everything Everywhere All At Once” is an irreverent and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about Evelyn Wang (Yeoh), a flustered Chinese American mother who is contacted from a parallel universe and told that only she can save the world. The unlikely hero learns to channel her new-found powers and fight through the splintering timelines of the multiverse to save her home, family, and herself.

'Ocean’s 8'

“Ocean’s 8” brings together a stellar cast with Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Rhianna, Awkwafina, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, and Anne Hathaway in an all-female heist movie. In the spirit of the “Ocean’s” franchise, “Ocean’s 8” exudes glamor, sophistication, clever plans, sleek fashion, and a delicious twist at the end. It may be the most fun movie that shows empowered women in traditionally male-dominant roles.

'Sucker Punch'

A surreal, visually striking film, “Sucker Punch” by Zack Snyder features Babydoll (Emily Browning) as the main protagonist committed to a mental asylum but escapes into a fantasy world that is just as hellish.

There are two ways to look at “Sucker Punch,” which audiences have done when it was first released in 2011. One group views it as perpetuating the stereotype of viewing women as objects and the other, representing empowered, strong female warriors fighting against oppression.

From Carrie Bradshaw to Evelyn Wang, catch these iconic female characters whose inspiring journeys are available to stream on HBO GO with a PLDT Home subscription. — With reports from Agence France-Presse

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