‘Barbie,' Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift providing a boost to the economy, expert say
‘Barbie,' Beyoncé, and Taylor Swift providing a boost to the economy, expert say
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00:00 Well, for a second straight weekend,
00:01 Barbie is the queen of the box office.
00:04 The Barbie movie dominated again this weekend,
00:06 pulling in another $93 million.
00:09 According to Variety, that's the seventh largest
00:11 second weekend for a movie in history.
00:15 Oppenheimer remained number two at the box office
00:17 behind Barbie, pulling in an additional $46 million
00:21 in its second weekend.
00:23 So what do Beyonce, Barbie, and Taylor Swift have in common?
00:28 Hmm, they are the bosses of the boost to the economy
00:31 right now.
00:32 Experts say spending is up nationwide this summer,
00:35 thanks in large part to these women.
00:38 NBC 10's Rosemary Connors reports.
00:42 That was my favorite doll ever.
00:45 That made my childhood.
00:46 These Barbie enthusiasts can't get
00:48 enough of the Barbie-themed pop-up dining experience
00:51 at the Restaurant Blondie on Main Street in Manioc.
00:54 I live in California, so I'm kind of--
00:56 I think of myself as a Malibu Barbie.
00:59 And Barbie's just iconic.
01:00 The Barbie movie has been a boost for the economy,
01:03 helping the bottom line of local businesses
01:05 cashing in on the craze.
01:07 Barbie's been excellent.
01:08 Lots of pink, people of all ages, young people,
01:11 old people, old people acting like young people,
01:14 bringing back to their childhood.
01:15 We love this idea of the chiconomy, right?
01:18 At Visit Philadelphia, staff have
01:20 been watching the local economic impact
01:22 from blockbuster concerts like Taylor Swift and Beyonce.
01:25 With the combination of both Taylor Swift
01:27 sitting on top of Penn graduation weekend
01:30 really equated to one of the strongest
01:33 weekends from a tourism perspective
01:35 in Philadelphia's history.
01:36 Even the Federal Reserve is keeping track
01:39 with the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
01:41 reporting one tourism contact highlighted
01:43 that May was the strongest month for hotel revenue
01:46 in Philadelphia since the onset of the pandemic,
01:49 in large part due to an influx of guests for the Taylor Swift
01:52 concerts in the city.
01:53 Once again, thank you for the beautiful signs.
01:55 Beyonce was only in Philly for one night, a Wednesday,
01:59 but the Queen Bee gave the city a boost.
02:01 What we benefited from was the fact
02:02 that Beyonce started her US tour right here in Philadelphia,
02:06 the home of brotherly love and sisterly affection.
02:09 This movie is going to make a zillion dollars.
02:11 This mother and son-in-law caught the Barbie movie
02:13 Matinee and Maniac spending money on a ticket that
02:16 promotes women's empowerment.
02:18 Men appreciate this movie in a way
02:20 they never thought they would.
02:22 Yeah, I loved it.
02:23 Barbie!
02:23 Back here at Blondie, the Barbie pop-up dining experience
02:29 is now extended through August 9 due to high demand.
02:33 Reporting from Manioc, I'm Rosemary Connors, NBC 10 News.