Barbie doll sales are booming online as the blockbuster film barrels toward $1 billion at the box office

• “Barbie” the movie is on track to top $1 billion in box-office sales.
• The “Barbie effect” is also boosting Mattel’s direct-to-consumer sales of dolls, per Shopify.
• Shoppers are “voting with their wallets” for their favorite brands, even as they cut spending elsewhere, one exec said.

The “Barbie effect” is in full swing.

Two weeks after the hit summer film’s release, box office sales are on track to top $1 billion, and retail sales of the namesake dolls are booming.

“We’re seeing [Mattel] doll sales up 56%,” said Harley Finkelstein, president of Shopify, the e-commerce platform that powers the direct-to-consumer operation for Barbie’s parent company. The company did not immediately respond to Insider’s request to specify the timeframe of the increase.

Finkelstein said beloved brands like Barbie are still resonating with shoppers who may be dialing back their spending elsewhere.

“Consumers are voting with their wallets to buy from their favorite brands,” he said. “Those favorite brands are on Shopify.”

The online sales boost reinforced comments from Mattel last week. The toymaker reported selling out of Barbie movie-related toys and products, and promised a wider selection of merchandise going into the holiday season.

Meanwhile, Barbie reigns supreme as the No. 1 doll brand in the world.

“The success of the Barbie movie is a milestone moment for Mattel, and it really is a showcase for the cultural resonance of the brand,” Mattel President and COO Richard Dickson said in an earnings call last week. “Whether it’s our toys, fashions, accessories or content, there’s no doubt that the brand has reached a new level of cultural relevance.”

While Mattel did report a slight dip in doll sales during the first half of the year, the company said the decline was due to a combination of its efforts to align promotions with the theatrical release, as well as shoppers saving up now for bigger holiday spending later.

“With the halo effect of the movie,” Dickson said, “we’ve never been more confident in Barbie.”