WW - Female Movies Can't Sell?

[ClarkLuther55]

One thing I've been loving about the 2008 summer movie season is that it's a complete, utter rebuttal of the arguments made against WW (and other "lesser" heroes, as if anyone not Superman or Batman is a nobody) or in favor of the WB's ridiculous unwillingness to commit to their comic book properties.

First, Iron Man showed that even a movie about a B-list hero could own the box office if it takes a serious (which doesn't mean it can't also be fun) approach, stays faithful to the source material, and features an excellent cast of real actors. Spider-Man and Batman Begins already showed how great superhero movies can be, but their heroes were also much bigger names than Tony Stark.

Then, in its second week, Iron Man absolutely DESTROYED the WB's very own Speed Racer. Even with no previous knowledge of the source anime, I could have told you that Speed Racer would bomb just by watching the awful trailer with its LSD-inspired CGI. Speed Racer, in which the WB invested well over $100 million, is proof that the studio isn't merely cautious with its superhero properties, but is just wussy and stupid. They threw away $100 million on that crap when they could have made a WW, GL, or Flash movie?

And just this last weekend, what was the movie at the top of the box office? Sex and the City. A movie continuing a show that ended 4 years ago, which only ever achieved a limited audience because of its explicit subject matter and the fact that it aired on premium cable and not an easily accessible network. A movie with EXTEMELY low appeal to men, and succeeded almost entirely on the female audience. A movie that starred TV actresses in their 40s or even 50s, with the main star being (rather unfairly) bashed as one of the "unsexiest" women by men's magazines like Maxim. A movie that doesn't even have excellent reviews, with a score currently in the 50s at Rotten Tomatoes. A movie that, despite all the above working against it, refutes Rubinov's belief that female movies can't sell (and don't trot out the Elektra/CINO/Ultraviolet argument again, those were terrible films that didn't appeal to ANYBODY, male or female).

CNN

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Sarah Jessica Parker and her gal pals have not lost their sex appeal.

The big-screen "Sex and the City" -- reuniting Parker and TV co-stars Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon -- strutted to a $55.7 million opening weekend, far exceeding Hollywood's box office expectations.

That was nearly twice the forecast by distributor Warner Bros., whose head of distribution, Dan Fellman, said he had hoped the movie might deliver a $30 million debut.

"Women power," Fellman said. "It was outstanding this weekend."

Analysts had figured Paramount's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" might stay atop the box office heap, but it slipped to second place with $46 million in its second weekend. "Indiana Jones" raised its 11-day domestic total to $216.9 million.

"Sex and the City" put up numbers never before seen for a movie aimed mainly at women, who do not tend to rush out in huge numbers for opening weekends the way males do.

"Sex and the City," released under Warner's New Line Cinema banner, had the best debut ever for an R-rated comedy, topping the $45.1 million opening of "American Pie 2."

The movie landed at No. 5 on the all-time list among R-rated films, behind "The Matrix Reloaded" ($91.8 million), "The Passion of the Christ" ($83.8 million), "300" ($70.9 million) and "Hannibal" ($58 million).

"This is a blockbuster for women. This was to women what `Indiana Jones' and `Star Wars,' let's say, are to men," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers.

The movie picks up four years after the series finale, in which Parker's Carrie Bradshaw and her Manhattan buddies left behind their randy ways to settle into monogamous relationships.

In the film, they deal with family and commitment issues while still flaunting their bawdy humor and trendy sense of style.

Hollywood skeptics had doubted the commercial prospects for a movie adaptation of "Sex and the City," which ended its six-year run in 2004. Originally airing on premium cable channel HBO, the show had a loyal but limited fan base and held little appeal for young males, the backbone of the box office.

However, "Sex and the City" mania grew as the movie's release approached, with many women organizing girls-night-out parties to see it with friends on opening day Friday.

"That's why Friday was quite a frenzy," Fellman said. "There were women that came in and bought out entire theaters in advance and invited all their friends."

Women made up 85 percent of the audience on Friday, Fellman said.

The movie pulled in $26.9 million on Friday. On Saturday, however, it took a steep drop with ticket sales dwindling to $17.7 million. Most big films take in more money on Saturday than Friday, so the decline was a sign that the audience for "Sex and the City" could dry up quickly.

Still, the film was on its way to becoming a $100 million hit that could spawn more sequels.

The audience is there. Furthermore, WW would have a much larger, because with epic action and a young and gorgeous star, it would pull in the men as well.

 

[Crook]

Exactly. WW is actually one of those rare characters that has the ability to gather both audiences. The potential for it's success is limitless, only hindered by the talent and ability of the production crew making the film.

 

[HR-PUFF&STUFF]

Exactly. WW is actually one of those rare characters that has the ability to gather both audiences. The potential for it's success is limitless, only hindered by the talent and ability of the production crew making the film.

so it will fail because WB will not do that.

 

[ant3ros]

I'm a guy and I think WW is a badass hero. She has the best of both Bats and Supes, and even more she has all the wonderful things about being a woman. Yeah, bro.

I mentioned this before, but Wonder Woman has all the cultural relevance as all the greats. She's one of the top biggest superheroes in the world.

Her solo movie if done right will definitely be big. It would definitely beat Superman Returns, and I wouldn't be surprised if it beat Iron Man. Let's just hope it gets made and made well.

 

[jmc]

I honestly believe WW has the chance to be a unique superhero film, our hero is female, it has the advantage over the Batman and Iron Man films where we don't have to wait an hour before they don the suit, she essentially already is WW from the start, it has the potential to bring the Greek gods to life on screen like we've never seen before (especially Ares), it also has the potential to have some epic LOTR style battle sequences, it has the potential to be a unique fantasy film set within the present day. This talk about chicks don't sell is utter crap.

 

[Jake Cassidy]

I think that WW is the only female comic book character that can be a huge success. She's the most well known female superhero in the world. Ever.

 

[The Major]

Clark:

Kill Bill proved that an action hero female lead can work very, very well.

There was a franchise which had never existed while WW has been on the public's mind for decades.

Jake:

I disagree. Marvel & DC have several female heroes minimum which could have potential. It all comes down to the execution. Gender doesn't enter into it.

 

[jmc]

In terms of the general public, there is daylight between WW and the number two female comic character.

 

[The Major]

jmc:

I'm not disagreeing with you there.

As long as the public are given good versions of the female characters it doesn't matter if they are well known or not.

 

[Jake Cassidy]

Jake:

I disagree. Marvel & DC have several female heroes minimum which could have potential. It all comes down to the execution. Gender doesn't enter into it.

When it comes to name recognition, no other female superhero from Marvel or DC are as well known as WW and never will be. That's all I was saying. t:

That would make WW a much safer bet than any other superheroine, imo.

 

[Lestat74]

One thing I've been loving about the 2008 summer movie season is that it's a complete, utter rebuttal of the arguments made against WW (and other "lesser" heroes, as if anyone not Superman or Batman is a nobody) or in favor of the WB's ridiculous unwillingness to commit to their comic book properties.

First, Iron Man showed that even a movie about a B-list hero could own the box office if it takes a serious (which doesn't mean it can't also be fun) approach, stays faithful to the source material, and features an excellent cast of real actors. Spider-Man and Batman Begins already showed how great superhero movies can be, but their heroes were also much bigger names than Tony Stark.

Then, in its second week, Iron Man absolutely DESTROYED the WB's very own Speed Racer. Even with no previous knowledge of the source anime, I could have told you that Speed Racer would bomb just by watching the awful trailer with its LSD-inspired CGI. Speed Racer, in which the WB invested well over $100 million, is proof that the studio isn't merely cautious with its superhero properties, but is just wussy and stupid. They threw away $100 million on that crap when they could have made a WW, GL, or Flash movie?

And just this last weekend, what was the movie at the top of the box office? Sex and the City. A movie continuing a show that ended 4 years ago, which only ever achieved a limited audience because of its explicit subject matter and the fact that it aired on premium cable and not an easily accessible network. A movie with EXTEMELY low appeal to men, and succeeded almost entirely on the female audience. A movie that starred TV actresses in their 40s or even 50s, with the main star being (rather unfairly) bashed as one of the "unsexiest" women by men's magazines like Maxim. A movie that doesn't even have excellent reviews, with a score currently in the 50s at Rotten Tomatoes. A movie that, despite all the above working against it, refutes Rubinov's belief that female movies can't sell (and don't trot out the Elektra/CINO/Ultraviolet argument again, those were terrible films that didn't appeal to ANYBODY, male or female).

CNN



The audience is there. Furthermore, WW would have a much larger, because with epic action and a young and gorgeous star, it would pull in the men as well.

I am a huge Wonder Woman fan, and I agree that with the proper people behind it it could be a huge success, but using Sex and the City as an argument for why a Wonder Woman movie could suceed isn't a good comparison. First off...S & The C is a romantic comedy. Women are far more prone to run out and see that than a female action movie. I'm sure if you did some polling, movies like Tomb Raider, Charlie's Angels and Kill Bill were 80% men who were seeing it on their opening weekends. And despite what you say about Sex and the City having a limited audience, well...I don't know how limited it was...Most women ( and othe gay men like myself ) I know were VERY into the show when it was on, and the DVD's are still like a comfortable bowl of ice cream on a lazy Sunday. Just ask any group of female friends you have, and they will tell you who in their group is the "Charlotte" or the "Samantha" ( although every girl thinks they are Carrie ) Sex and the City is the closest thing the female demographic has to a genuine Cult Phenomenon. And you can always count on a cult audience to be there on opening weekend in record numbers.

But I totally agree that Warners continues to drop the ball big time with their DC properties. They should take a good long look at what Marvel is doing and proceed the same way.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

And to piggy back off what Lestat said, I think part of the fear comes from no one being sure a female action hero can attract women at the expense Hollywood is comfortable with. Tomb Raider only made 130 million dollars. That sucks for a summer blockbuster.

http://www.obsessedwithfilm.com/specials/where-are-the-women.php
Check this article out.

It explains part of my fear. Someone, i think the VileOne, said the script for Wondy in WW2 was really just a Steve Trevor film but I remember Latino Review given the script a glowing review. Women are the ones who will be skeptical of WW because no female action character has been done without some hook for men, like Aliens. I've said before this movie would be more likely to be picked off at the boxoffice by a testosterone filled action movie that men feel more comfortable seeing.

 

[shapeshifter]

Wonder Woman should happen, but I'm glad Joss dropped out.
Don't get me wrong I love Joss's Stuff, but he does not have the right demeanor to carry a ww movie. It would come out to punny.

 

[November Rain]

sex and the city can't be used to show how a female superhero movie can sell.

sex and the city is being marketed as the must see fashion trend setter of the summer, it would be social suicide for a woman not to watch it.

it has absolutely no bearing on a warrior princess superhero film.

They should also try to cut down the sex symbol aspect of it because the audience won't take the character seriously, if lucy lawless was only a few years younger...

 

[storyteller]

First and foremost I hate this A List- B List stuff. Spiderman and Batman are more famous then other comic book characters because they had tv shows and movies. They didnt just earn their merit by just being in the comic. Even ant man can get that treatment if given the exposure. Also Iron man isnt too B list. Many non comic book readers knew about ironman. Also it was a movie with a hero in an armored suit played by a great and known actor.

Now to the main topic. Female movies can sell. We known that to be true on many successes. Now your real argument is that if female movies like sex and the city can have huge success then wonder woman can as well. But its not a fair comparison. Female superhero movies that havent done so well in the past didnt fail because they were films featuring women. They failed because of crappy writing. Crap goes in and crap comes out. People dont like to see crappy movies in theaters.

If Wonder Woman fails, it will because it was a crappy movie and not because it was a woman in the lead role. I also agree that SITC is not a good comparison. Totally different genre.

No the only problem with females superhero movies is that the majority are just terrible(and the chicks who are typically hot out of costume are so so in them)

 

[04nbod]

Women can sell in action movies as long its not fluffy. Buffy showed us it wasn't a lost cause with its broad spectrum of fans.

Sex and the City isn't a good comparison because they are completely different genres. That movie fits the more 'typical' female movie just like a rom-com where wonder woman shouldn't. If the marketing draws on the Linda Carter nostalgia factor it could boost it substantially.

 

[ant3ros]

I hope WB doesn't skew the WW movie to blatantly appeal to a female audience. WW just needs to be taken as seriously as any other hero. Make a movie true the the character. She has always been on the same level as Superman and Batman.

 

[Binker]

It's just the matter of the script. No one of us wants a bad script becoming the movie, and not only that, but the JLA movie is still alive for a possible 2011-2012 release.

We shouldn't be that bad, people. A Wonder Woman animated movie is coming very soon, after Gotham Knight. The sneak peak will be on that Gotham Knight DVD. So we are getting a Wonder Woman movie right around the corner!

 

[The Guard]

WONDER WOMAN has potential. That's hard to even argue. But IRON MAN is not a good argument for a WONDER WOMAN movie. A movie featuring a well known actor, big, loud and brash? No. Nor is SEX AND THE CITY a good gauge. SEX AND THE CITY was always huge. It has a huge cult following, and like someone else said, it's basically social suicide for women NOT to see it. WONDER WOMAN can work, but there hasn't quite been a movie yet that indicates it would clean up at the box office.

 

[stargazer]

I think that WW is the only female comic book character that can be a huge success. She's the most well known female superhero in the world. Ever.

Agreed!

but the question is, should they keep the same suit? or should they make changes to it? I like the traditional suit but I'm not so sure if she would be taken very seriously by most people by wearing it, you know what I mean? She showes too much skin..

 

[Marcus M.]

When in the hell has Iron man ever been a B-list hero?

 

[X-Maniac]

Sex and the City is an entirely different concept to Wonder Woman.

Movies/series about women's lives/relationships/issues/neuroses do well - Bridget Jones being another example. Modern women can relate to these women's struggles.

Wonder Woman is entirely different. How many of today's women can relate to an ancient Amazon?!

 

[jmc]

When in the hell has Iron man ever been a B-list hero?

Always has been, in term of the general public. It goes tier one, Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, characters a lot of the general public know of thanks to the character reaching Pop culture status, ie knowledge of origin, villains, real name, love interests etc, then it's tier two, Iron Man, Flash, Green Lantern, Thor, characters the general public really only know by name and not much else. Iron Man until recently was one of those B-listers.

 

[shapeshifter]

When in the hell has Iron man ever been a B-list hero?

right up until civil war

 

[TheComicbookKid]

WONDER WOMAN can work, but there hasn't quite been a movie yet that indicates it would clean up at the box office.

You just hit the nail on the head. The one thing Hollywood hates is being the first to do something. A WW movie will have to be the trailblazer unless Witchblade turns out PG-13 and cleans up at the boxoffice.