How does one repay a team of producers for launching its highest grossing film of all time? Give them the key to the studio — literally.
On Monday, “Barbie” producers, LuckyChap’s Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Josey McNamara inked a first-look deal at Warner Bros., which distributed the $1.4 billion-grossing movie. So, to celebrate, Warner Bros. Pictures Group Co-Chairs and CEO Pam Abdy and Michael De Luca decided to resurrect an old tradition, started by WB co-founder Jack Warner.
“Every once in a while, when a significant piece of talent signed a deal with the studio, he presented that company, that talent, with a key to the studio,” De Luca said as he and Abdy raised a toast to the trio. “We are so delighted to have our first key to our studio be given to LuckyChap.”
This historical artifact, De Luca noted, was particularly special, as the LuckyChap team received one of the original keys to the studio, forged in 1956. One side of the key reads “Welcome to Warner Bros,” while the other side says “The Largest in the World.”
Continuing their toast, Abdy saluted “Barbie” for its record-breaking box office and its eight Academy Award nominations, describing the film as a “beacon” for the studio and a “shining example of the kinds of movies we want to make.”
“The spirit of ‘Barbie’ has its roots in our century-old studio’s founding to bring the very best storytellers together under one roof to make films that would leave their mark on cinema, both today and in the years ahead,” Abdy said. “Without the powerhouse of Margot Robbie, there would be no ‘Barbie,’ and without the talented trio at LuckyChap, who put their whole trust in Greta Gerwig to help bring ‘Barbie’ to the big screen, the world would never know what it means to see a Barbie Dreamhouse come to life on the silver screen.”
De Luca also called out LuckyChap’s track record for producing original films each time they’ve been at bat.
“Whether it’s ‘Barbie,’ whether it’s finding Emerald Fennell for ‘Promising Young Woman’ and ‘Saltburn,’ they push the envelope every time, they strive for innovation within genres, they absolutely try to find filmmakers that have a voice,” he added, describing them as “absolutely fearless in their search for material and search for filmmakers that will make it worth your while to go to the movie theater and experience a story communally.”
Accepting the award on behalf of herself, Ackerley and McNamara, Robbie looked back over LuckyChap’s last decade, sharing the keys to the company’s success thus far.
“Just because something hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it can’t be done. No one should have to conform to the image or idea that someone else has of them,” Robbie said of the company’s ethos. “That is why we back audacious filmmakers like Greta and Emerald, and we have spent the last 10 years nurturing relationships with people who believe what we believe, people who aren’t afraid to take risks, even when it hasn’t been done before, even when it doesn’t look like the thing they’ve seen before.”
And that includes Warner Bros., Robbie emphasized, noting that the studio “took that risk with us on ‘Barbie,’ and I know they’re going to continue taking those risks with us in the years to come.”
On hand to celebrate the momentous occasion was a who’s who of Hollywood. The “Barbie” crew was well-represented, with America Ferrera, Alexandra Shipp, Finneas O’Connell, Mark Ronson and Grace Gummer among the revelers, while Barry Koeghan waved the flag for team “Saltburn.”
Many of Robbie and LuckyChap’s past and present collaborators were also in attendance including Jurnee Smollett (“Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn”), Samara Weaving (“Babylon,” LuckyChap’s upcoming film “Borderline”), Diego Calva (“Babylon”), Ed Bedgley Jr. (“Amsterdam”), Steven Rogers (“I, Tonya”), Molly Smith Metzler (“Maid”), Max Barbakow, and Jay Roach (“Bombshell,” LuckyChap’s “Oceans” movie).
Rounding out the star-studded star-studded guest list were: Rose Byrne, Shailene Woodley, Steven Yeun, Kirsten Dunst, JJ Abrams, Cameron Crowe, Erik Feig, Michael Mann, David Chase, Jack McBrayer, Molly Shannon, Jaden Smith, Ed Begley Jr, Omar Benson Miller, Pierce Brosnan, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Brian Grazer, Kimberly Pierce, Ron Perlman, Rhea Perlman, Glen Powell, Michelle Rodriguez, Clark Gregg, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine Hardwick, Kevin Messick, Dermot Mulroney, Phillip Noyce, Mimi Rogers, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang, Jane Seymour, Adam Shankman, Ti West, Billy Zane, Uzo Aduba, Rae Dawn Chong, Candy Clark, Atticus Ross, Dustin Lance Black, Tom Daley, Gaby Hoffman, Gillian Jacobs, Cheri Oteri, Simon Rex, Nick Robinson, Christina Oh, John Hawkes, Zooey Deschanel, Jonathan Scott, Jay Hernandez, Petra Collins, Dexter Fletcher, Jeremy Kleiner, Ram Bergman, Christos Nikou, Kieran and Michelle Mulroney, Daniel Kwan and Justin Kuritzkes.
Inside the swanky event, guests were treated to “Barbie” and “Saltburn”-themed props in a vintage photo booth and specialty cocktails representing each film, as well as a performance by electric violinist DSharp of “What Was I made For?” and “I’m Just Ken.”
