Warners Not Doing Chick Flicks?

[Galactus]

By Garth Franklin
Monday October 8th 2007 7:25am
Three different producers have told Deadline Hollywood Daily that Warner Bros. Pictures president prexy Jeff Robinov has declared that the studio is "no longer doing movies with women in the lead".

What's surprising is that the apparent reasoning behind this new edict is the box-office. Warners biggest hits this year have been male-centric ("300," "Harry Potter," "Ocean's 13") whilst chick flicks like "In the Land of Women," "License to Wed," "Lucky You," "Music and Lyrics," "Nancy Drew," and "No Reservations" have all underperformed.

The icing on the cake allegedly is the tanking of the Nicole Kidman-led sci-fi thriller "The Invasion" and the Jodie Foster-led vigilante drama "The Brave One". Noted women's rights attorney Gloria Allred responded with the following very true reasoning: "If that's what he said, when movies with men as the lead fail, no one says we'll stop making movies with men in the lead."

The report has put Robinov in the firing line from sources all over, not just for the blatant sexism, but for the sheer lack of logic in regards to the decision. Others have come up with the more likely sounding argument that the edict is against female-led action films. This despite the success in recent years of such female-led action franchises like "Charlie's Angels," "Underworld," "Tomb Raider," and "Resident Evil" .

What this means for the studio's planned "Wonder Woman" movie is also unsure.

Further proof that Hollywood only cares about money. I wonder if they even considered the idea that movies like The Invasion failed because they weren't good, not because there was a woman in the lead?

 

[Steve Rogers]

Further proof that Hollywood only cares about money. I wonder if they even considered the idea that movies like The Invasion failed because they weren't good, not because there was a woman in the lead?

Duh. It's a business in a very competitive capitalist market.

 

[Dr. Fate]

I wonder how many folk in general will feel even more alienated by Warners decree of "no more chick flicks"...

 

[Steve Rogers]

I love how everybody is attacking Warner Bros. for no longer making movies that audiences are not watching. Why aren't the audiences held accountable? We're the ones not watching chick flicks.

 

[DocHoliday]

I love how everybody is attacking Warner Bros. for no longer making movies that audiences are not watching. Why aren't the audiences held accountable? We're the ones not watching chick flicks.

Exactly. If they are not making money expect less of them. I don;t agree that a female driven film can't succeed but I am not the one who has lost tons of money on them either. It sucks but it's just like Westerns not making enough to survive.

 

[Galactus]

I get a feeling that people here misunderstood the article. It says that the studio is "no longer doing movies with women in the lead". That doesn't only mean "chick flicks" as in movies aimed at a female audience. It could be anything. Action-movies. Horror-movies. Whatever.

So what's next? What if a movie with, say, a black person in the lead flops? "Oh, we better stop making movies with black persons in the lead"?

 

[Matt]

Its not that big of a deal. Especially because Robinov and Dan Lin will be on their way out the door soon. Which means this policy will as well.

Jeff Robinov and Dan Lin pretty much put their careers on the line by backing JLA so intently, so if it doesn't get off the ground or flounders at the box office, they will be fired.

 

[AhabTheArab]

so i guess im the crazy one who has no problem with this.... all the movies he mentioned sucked and i had no desire to see them at all. but its true its not because they are female lead, more because they looked crappy.

but in all honesty, this whole girl power thing going on in hollywood, ala ultraviolet, aeon flux, and death proof really is not taking off like they had hoped. even in action flicks, the girls look like they are in slow motion, much like women's competitive sports, minus uma thurman in kill bill, all chicks in action movies, even jennifer garner, suck, their stunts are not believable and they look horrible.

business decisions anger the masses.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

My feeling is that now that WB has been taken over by Fox as the most hated movie studio on the planet, they felt they had to do something incredibly stupid to try to regain their title.

It is one thing to stop making a particular genre of film, but to come flat out and say that they are not going to make any movies with a female lead is only going to lead to a series of lawsuits if they actually go through with it.

 

[DocHoliday]

so i guess im the crazy one who has no problem with this.... all the movies he mentioned sucked and i had no desire to see them at all. but its true its not because they are female lead, more because they looked crappy.

but in all honesty, this whole girl power thing going on in hollywood, ala ultraviolet, aeon flux, and death proof really is not taking off like they had hoped. even in action flicks, the girls look like they are in slow motion, much like women's competitive sports, minus uma thurman in kill bill, all chicks in action movies, even jennifer garner, suck, their stunts are not believable and they look horrible.

business decisions anger the masses.

This is true. The only series that has been successful is the ultra crappy Resident Evil films. But I thought Garner did a good job with stunts in "The Kingdom"

 

[Ratcrawler]

but in all honesty, this whole girl power thing going on in hollywood, ala ultraviolet, aeon flux, and death proof really is not taking off like they had hoped. even in action flicks, the girls look like they are in slow motion, much like women's competitive sports, minus uma thurman in kill bill, all chicks in action movies, even jennifer garner, suck, their stunts are not believable and they look horrible.

True. I hate it when they treat the whole "girl power" like it's fresh and new. It peaked with Ripley and Sarah Connor and they all kinda went downhill from there. The worst part is always a scene where some awe-struck male character thinks "Wow! A woman shouldn't be able to do that!" i.e Shrek when he saw Fiona give Robin Hood's crew a redass beatdown. I sit there watching thinking "Yeah, I was raised in the 90s, I get it, women can do anything men can. Stop looking so damn surprised buddy, your embarassing your own gender." And yet, when chicks do things like ride a motorcycle off of a bridge while shooting the bad guys and land it in a sideways helicopter I think "wait, I can't even take it seriously when a guy does this crap."

 

[Rac]

Wow. This is harsh.

 

[Timstuff]

Further proof that Hollywood only cares about money. I wonder if they even considered the idea that movies like The Invasion failed because they weren't good, not because there was a woman in the lead?

Well, Resident Evil Extinction's so-called "success" doesn't do much to affirm the idea that female-led movies need to be good to make money.

 

[Figs]

Well it's a good business standpoint. The proof is in the pudding, yeah you may say it was because they were all bad films but it's funny that they all had female leads. I think Ratcrawler said it best, pretty much after Ripley and Sarah Conner the whole "girl power" thing is dead and overdone.

 

[Golgo-13]

''The Descent' was an all female cast film that is highly popular. It's not that we don't wanna see films with females as leads, it that we wanna see GOOD films with females as leads. I guess the Brits know how to do it better.

 

[danoyse]

Not going to get into the whole "girl power" perspective...because listening to you boys discuss it is a little pathetic already, the problem isn't women in leading roles. The problem is that the movies they mentioned in this article were bad...or looked bad enough that we didn't go to see them.

I didn't want to see License to Wed. That was Robin Williams doing his same schtick for the millionth time. Nancy Drew was a kids movie. No Reservations looked predictable, and Music & Lyrics looked cute enough, but it was a rental. The Invasion looked lackluster.

And since when is Harry Potter male-centric? Nearly all the HP fans I know are female. I saw the new movie opening night and was besieged by teenage girls screaming when Harry had his first kiss. I know plenty of women who liked the Ocean's movies too.

I'd hate to think that women's roles are going to be reduced to Lara Croft and whoever the hell the lead character is in the Resident Evil movies, that's just sad.

 

[Figs]

Not going to get into the whole "girl power" perspective...because listening to you boys discuss it is a little pathetic already, the problem isn't women in leading roles. The problem is that the movies they mentioned in this article were bad...or looked bad enough that we didn't go to see them.

I didn't want to see License to Wed. That was Robin Williams doing his same schtick for the millionth time. Nancy Drew was a kids movie. No Reservations looked predictable, and Music & Lyrics looked cute enough, but it was a rental. The Invasion looked lackluster.

And since when is Harry Potter male-centric? Nearly all the HP fans I know are female. I saw the new movie opening night and was besieged by teenage girls screaming when Harry had his first kiss. I know plenty of women who liked the Ocean's movies too.

I'd hate to think that women's roles are going to be reduced to Lara Croft and whoever the hell the lead character is in the Resident Evil movies, that's just sad.

"Listening to you boys discuss it is a little pathetic".......right. Yeah, part of it is because they were bad movies but I don't think that many people care to see woman anymore in those lead action roles. Like you said about the girls, most girls want to see the handsome or hunky male lead most of the time.

I'm a bit pissed that that last Foster movie didn't do well. She wasn't playing some over the top action character and Jodie is a damn good actress. I don't know what went wrong there, but as for those roles like Milla in Resident Evil.........they need to stop with that, at least for a number of years. Characters like Ripley and Sarah Connor were good for their time and weren't over the top and too butch like. I think over the last few years they have just gotten carried away with making female heroines.

 

[BMM]

I didn't want to see License to Wed. That was Robin Williams doing his same schtick for the millionth time. Nancy Drew was a kids movie. No Reservations looked predictable, and Music & Lyrics looked cute enough, but it was a rental. The Invasion looked lackluster.

I agree. As I said in the other thread, I think there's a market for female oriented movies, so long as they are actually good and/or original. The Devil Wears Prada was a sleeper hit while being sandwiched between two of last year's biggest blockbusters--Superman Returns and POTC: DMC.

 

[DocHoliday]

Not going to get into the whole "girl power" perspective...because listening to you boys discuss it is a little pathetic already, the problem isn't women in leading roles. The problem is that the movies they mentioned in this article were bad...or looked bad enough that we didn't go to see them.

I didn't want to see License to Wed. That was Robin Williams doing his same schtick for the millionth time. Nancy Drew was a kids movie. No Reservations looked predictable, and Music & Lyrics looked cute enough, but it was a rental. The Invasion looked lackluster.

And since when is Harry Potter male-centric? Nearly all the HP fans I know are female. I saw the new movie opening night and was besieged by teenage girls screaming when Harry had his first kiss. I know plenty of women who liked the Ocean's movies too.

I'd hate to think that women's roles are going to be reduced to Lara Croft and whoever the hell the lead character is in the Resident Evil movies, that's just sad.

That I agree with. Those roles are in some ways what is killing the female led action films.

 

[SapphirePrima]

Wow, that pretty sexist.. : Seriously why don't they find better material that has women as leads?

 

[amazingfantasy15]

So all those movies failed because a woman was in the lead role, not because they sucked, damn I wish I could be a studio exec, seems like such and easy job. If you notice every movie except one that's mentioned as examples have a rotten rating on rotten tomatoes, while every male lead movie has a fresh rating;

Licsence to Wed 8%, No Reservations 22%, Lucky You 29%, In the Land of Women 44%, Nancy Drew 52%, The Invasion 19%, The Brave One 45%, only fresh rating is for Music & Lyrics 64%.

Male lead movies 300 60%, Ocean's 13 69%, Harry Potter 77%

 

[Ratcrawler]

I think Ratcrawler said it best, pretty much after Ripley and Sarah Conner the whole "girl power" thing is dead and overdone.

...nobody on this board has ever reiterated a point I made... thank you.

I guess the Brits know how to do it better.

Yeah, between Descent & Bend it like Beckham, I'm inclined to agree.

 

[Steve Rogers]

Girl Power is not over done. It's just poorly done. Look at the success of the Kill Bill films. Those were both post Ripley and Sarah Conner. If done and done well these films can be excellent. If done poorly, like any film, a poorly made Girl Power film is, in the end, a poor film.

 

[danoyse]

I agree. As I said in the other thread, I think there's a market for female oriented movies, so long as they are actually good and/or original. The Devil Wears Prada was a sleeper hit while being sandwiched between two of last year's biggest blockbusters--Superman Returns and POTC: DMC.

Exactly. And Devil Wears Prada was a great movie. That's also why it did so well, not just because it had female leads in some generic action role. Women don't all love the action movies, it's great to have when you don't want to see Superman or Pirates. Although I saw all three of them. But most of my female friends aren't really into them.

I saw the Sex and the City movie filming in Bryant Park tonight (and I saw Mr. Big! yay!), my friends and I can't wait for that movie. And judging from the legions of women lurking around the set, I think a lot of people are looking forward to it.

It's a shame to think some idiot exec doesn't think there's an audience for these movies just because they can't make a decent movie themselves.