{"id":8441,"date":"2018-01-02T23:08:49","date_gmt":"2018-01-03T06:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/?p=8441"},"modified":"2018-01-02T23:22:22","modified_gmt":"2018-01-03T06:22:22","slug":"women-fronted-films-are-top-three-highest-grossing-movies-of-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/2018\/01\/02\/women-fronted-films-are-top-three-highest-grossing-movies-of-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Women-Fronted Films are Top Three Highest-Grossing Movies of 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It could be seen as a fitting response to a year in which Hollywood has been rocked by sexual harassment accusations against powerful men \u2013 the three most popular movies of 2017 in North America all featured female actors in their lead roles.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 1\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Star Wars: The Last Jedi\u00a0\u2013 the latest installment of the long-running space saga \u2013 overtook Disney\u2019s live-action Beauty and the Beast on New Year\u2019s Eve to become the top grossing film of the year in the US and Canada, according to studio estimates.<\/p>\n<p>Wonder Woman, the first world world war-set superhero tale that has so far been DC Comics\u2019 only critical hit, came in at No 3.<\/p>\n<p>The last time the top three films were fronted by women was in 1958, when South Pacific, Auntie Mame, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof were the most popular American movies, according to\u00a0box-office tracking\u00a0websites.<\/p>\n<p>The news comes as 300 female Hollywood actors, agents, writers, directors, producers and entertainment executives \u2013 including Natalie Portman, Emma Stone and Reese Witherspoon \u2013 kick off the new year with\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2018\/jan\/01\/times-up-hollywood-women-launch-campaign-to-fight-sexual-harassment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">a coordinated effort to counter systemic sexual harassment in the entertainment business and workplaces nationwide, called Time\u2019s Up<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Last Jedi, which took in $533.1m, has an ensemble cast, but it has been\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2017\/dec\/18\/star-wars-the-last-jedi-women-bechdel-test\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">praised<\/a>\u00a0for its strong and varied roles for women, including Daisy Ridley as trainee Jedi Rey and the late Carrie Fisher in her final performance as the character who made her a superstar: Princess \u2013 now General \u2013 Leia. \u201cFemale heroes are traditionally presented in cinematic isolation,\u201d documentary film-maker Annalise Ophelian\u00a0told the Guardian. \u201cThis film gives us women working side by side, women in technical positions, and of course women learning the ways of the Force.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\" data-component=\"rich-link\" data-link-name=\"rich-link-3 | 2\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-feature--item \">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/2d8afa24802754bdf0359a5534e934e894358b65\/194_14_1379_828\/master\/1379.jpg?w=460&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=91219d76e972dc3b8d5f5691f7f8d313\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Beauty and the Beast\u00a0\u2013 a remake of the 1991 cartoon \u2013 is arguably less successful on that front. The new film, which made $504m, starred Emma Watson as the demure French beauty who falls for a monster who was once a handsome prince.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c[Belle] is absolutely a Disney princess, but she\u2019s not a passive character \u2013 she\u2019s in charge of her own destiny,\u201d Watson\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vanityfair.com\/hollywood\/2017\/02\/emma-watson-cover-story\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">told Vanity Fair<\/a>, adding that the character had won the approval of feminist icon Gloria Steinem. But the Observer\u2019s Wendy Ide\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2017\/mar\/19\/beauty-and-the-beast-review-undeniably-arresting-emma-watson-josh-gad-bill-condon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">noted<\/a>\u00a0that Belle \u201cmight be a feminist but she\u2019s also kind of a dick\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Wonder Woman \u2013 which made $412.6m \u2013 was the subject of similar debate. Patty Jenkins\u2019 film \u2013 the highest-grossing live-action movie ever directed by a woman \u2013 was celebrated for Gal Gadot\u2019s portrayal of the kick-ass superheroine who becomes a role model and moral example to the men pointlessly destroying each other in the trenches of Europe, and for its early scenes showing the all-female Amazons training their tough young daughters.<\/p>\n<p>But Terminator director James Cameron caused a furore when he\u00a0suggested to the Guardian\u00a0that \u201call of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood\u2019s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided. She\u2019s an objectified icon, and it\u2019s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, as the US film industry was shaken by sexual harassment accusations against Harvey Weinstein, Dustin Hoffman, Jeffrey Tambor and many others, \u201cwomen were the real power brokers at the cinema in 2017,\u201d Paul Dergarabedian of comScore, which compiles the estimated movie earnings, told the Guardian.<\/p>\n<p>The Shape of Water, The Post, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and I, Tonya were other notable examples of female-fronted movies that made waves in 2017 and, while not necessarily enormous money-makers, may now go on to win at the Academy Awards.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a really interesting phenomenon,\u201d Dergarabedian said. \u201cI don\u2019t know if it\u2019s something in the zeitgeist that\u2019s manifesting itself in these powerful portrayals of female characters in these really big hit movies as well as smaller indie movies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is just a renaissance going on in 2017 and now moving into 2018 where female-led movies and movies with female characters at the centre of the story have moved front and centre in terms of the box office and in terms of critical acclaim.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The media analyst said \u201cthe creative side of the business is often informed by world events \u2026 if you look at movies from the Vietnam era they have a different vibe \u2013 they are movies that reflect the culture \u2026 there\u2019s something brewing out there and I think it\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile the top comedy of the year was Girls Trip, starring Jada Pinkett Smith and Queen Latifah, and the top film with a limited release was Greta Gerwig\u2019s widely praised California coming-of-age story Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan.<\/p>\n<p>Asked if Hollywood could look at the 2017 figures in the post-Weinstein era and be confident that films made by and for women could be huge box-office successes, Dergarabedian said: \u201cAbsolutely. I think if 2017 has taught us anything it\u2019s that women wield enormous clout at the box office and also a lot behind the camera. Hopefully one day this will not have to be something that is revelatory.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>By contrast a film closely associated with the so-called Weinstein effect \u2013 Ridley Scott\u2019s All the Money in the World \u2013 netted a domestic total in its first week of release of only $14.7m against its $50m budget. Scott deleted all scenes featuring Kevin Spacey\u00a0at an estimated cost of $10m, after the House of Cards star was accused of numerous incidents of sexual misconduct, and reshot them with Christopher Plummer in the role.<\/p>\n<p>Overall, cinema ticket sales in North America were due to surpass $11bn in 2017, according to comScore\u2019s projections, down 2.3 percentage points on last year\u2019s record-breaking figure of $11.4bn. But worldwide they set a new record of $39.92bn.<\/p>\n<h2>Top five films in North America for 2017<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Star Wars: The Last Jedi: $533.1m<\/li>\n<li>Beauty and the Beast: $504m<\/li>\n<li>Wonder Woman: $412.6m<\/li>\n<li>Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2: $389.8m<\/li>\n<li>Spider-Man: Homecoming: $334.2m<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p> <\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/film\/2018\/jan\/01\/women-fronted-films-top-three-highest-grossing-2017?utm_content=buffer2cd0c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Women of Green<\/a>\u00a0is TURNING UP THE VOLUME of the feminine voice on the planet in order to create the world we know is possible.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It could be seen as a fitting response to a year in which Hollywood has been rocked by sexual harassment accusations against powerful men \u2013 the three most popular movies of 2017 in North America all featured female actors in their lead roles. Star Wars: The Last Jedi\u00a0\u2013 the latest installment of the long-running space saga \u2013 overtook Disney\u2019s live-action Beauty and the Beast on New Year\u2019s Eve to become the top grossing film of the year in the US and Canada, according to studio estimates. Wonder Woman, the first world world war-set superhero tale that has so far been DC Comics\u2019 only critical hit, came in at No 3. The last time the top three films were fronted by women was in 1958, when South Pacific, Auntie Mame, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof were the most popular American movies, according to\u00a0box-office tracking\u00a0websites.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8442,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1360,1348],"tags":[2337,2333,2335,2336,2339,2332,2338,8,2334],"class_list":["post-8441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured-media","category-leadership","tag-2017-movies","tag-beauty-and-the-beast","tag-emma-watson","tag-feminist-movies","tag-lead-female-actors","tag-the-last-jedi","tag-women-movies","tag-women-of-green","tag-wonder-woman"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8441"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8446,"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8441\/revisions\/8446"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/womenofgreen.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}