There’s a conventional wisdom in Hollywood that movies starring women won’t sell to large audiences. Hollywood bigwigs believe that movies starring men have universal appeal to men and women, while movies starring women only appeal to women. Some film students have even been discouraged from writing screenplays with more than one prominent female character. There’s a stereotype that stories about men are about “the human experience” while stories about women are about “women’s experiences.”
Movies starring women simply don’t have mass appeal, people will say. After all, just look at the list of the top grossing films of 2011. Of the top 10 movies, only one has a female protagonist – and she’s from Twilight, so that doesn’t count.
It’s true that the top 10 grossing movies of 2011 have predominantly male casts – Harry Potter and the Sobbing Audience Members, Transformers: Pink Floyd Album Ripoff in the Title, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Bella’s Spine Part 1, The Hangover Part Whatever, Pirates of the Caribbean: Johnny Depp Officially Loses Indie Cred, Fast Five Sequels Too Many, Mission: Impossible – Awesome Theme Music, Cars 2Who Cares, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Homoerotic Subtext, and Thor: Not Enough Room for a Fake Subtitle.
Yes, it’s a big year for men.
It’s also a big year for sequels.
Every single movie in that list is either the sequel or part of a story franchise. Thor is a film that could stand on its own, but he’s about to join The Hulk and Iron Man and Captain America in The Avengers, so I consider it as part of a Marvel franchise if not a sequel.
The movies in the #11 and #12 slots also fall into “sequel or franchise” category: Rise of the Planet of the Apes STARRING JAMES FRANCO and Captain America: Why Hello There, Chris Evans.
What a year for sequels, am I right? Is there any hope for original stories? Let’s see what movies are on the rest of the list.
A-ha! There we go. The #13 and #14 highest-grossing movies of 2011 are The Help and Bridesmaids: two movies with predominantly female casts.
HMMMM. Interesting, that.
If one looks at the list of top-grossing movies of 2011, one might come to the conclusion that Hollywood can never worry about losing money as long as it can make movies about superheroes and sequels to movies about superheroes. One would probably be correct in saying that. One ALSO might notice, however, that the two most popular movies of 2011 that were not superhero movies or sequels were about relationships among women.
No doubt this will lead to sweeping statements from Hollywood producers where they announce that they will no longer make movies with male protagonists (unless it’s an action movie), right?
And producers will certainly not dismiss this box-office success of movies starring women as a fluke, and insist that The Help and Bridesmaids are exceptions to the rule, right?
My answer to the first question: “SHYEAH RIGHT.”
My answer to the second: “One can only hope.”
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Modern Hollywood screenwriters–and let’s include playwrights of the live theater–may need to shake off the effects of 2000 years of stultifying tradition. From the Ancient Greek and Roman theaters right through to the beginning of the English Restoration in 1666, there was a stern prohibition against women actors. (Gwyneth Paltrow would never have been allowed to play Juliet–or even a spearcarrier.)
But it’s been almost 350 years SINCE the Restoration. Shaking off effects should be effectively over. I for one could never see another Spiderman or Thor film for the rest of my life and be very content. But I’m ready for another Bridesmaids, Sense and Sensibility, or Notes on a Scandal–a film not to be missed.
Notes on a Scandal was one of the best movies I’ve seen in the past few years. Enthralling story with great performances from Dench and Blanchett in two roles that are departures for them.
So, in other words, Bridesmaids was the highest-grossing non-sequel/franchise/based-on-existing-property movie of 2011?