The Guard
Avenger
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- Jun 6, 2002
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I'm sorry, but I'm still not buying that argument. I really does seem like when a female-led property does poorly, then it's held up as proof that the concept "doesn't sell." But when it does well, like THG, then people try to claim that it's due to "other factors."
No, it's not only "due to other factors", but its success is clearly partially due to the fact that the concept was already beloved among young adults. It's not rocket science. It's a cultural phenomenon. The TWILIGHT movies didn't make a ton of money because they're good movies with a great female lead character and an engaging story, after all.
Sorry, but no sale. THG is a franchise FOCUSED completely around a female character. Katniss is the freaking narrator for God's sake. If she doesn't work as a character, then the entire series doesn't work. And the film's marketing was primarily focused around Jennifer Lawrence. They were selling the movie on her.
No one is arguing that if she doesn't work, the series doesn't work.
Of course they were selling the movie on her. Everyone else in the film was a NOBODY to the general public and the target audience in terms of drawing power. You think most kids care a fig about Stanley Tucci? Wes Bentley? Woody Harrelson?
Jennifer Lawrence, on the other hand, was coming off Oscar buzz and the hot up and coming actress...especially among young adults, etc.
The argument is not that a female led action movie cannot make money...the argument is that THE HUNGER GAMES is not a good barometer for what would happen with a WONDER WOMAN movie.
I'm sorry, but that double standard gets on my nerves. If THG had failed, then you can be damn sure that it would have been held up as proof that female-led action movies "don't sell."
That's because if that had happened, it would have been evidence that female-led action movies don't sell well, regardless of relative quality.