New Study Finds Female-Led Movies Make More Money

If you clicked on that headline, chances are you have a few questions. When I saw this mythical “new study” trending on the Internet last week, I had more than just a few. So I wrote all my queries down, then I combed through the footnotes and took to my handy Google search bar to find the answers. When you sit down for a family meal during the holidays, feel free to toss around some of these facts — and then make sure to recommend a handful of your favourite female-led films from this past year.

First off, where is this study coming from?

The study comes from the talent agency Creative Artists Agency—who earlier this year, published a similar study that proved diverse casting leads to box office success—and the tech company Shift7.

Are we talking films from 2018, or every film ever made?

Neither. The study looks at global box office revenue for films release between 2014 and 2017.

How do you define a female-led film?

The data used in this study—including film budgets and box office numbers—comes from Studio System by Gracenote, a service  recognized as the Hollywood’s most trusted source for entertainment data, research and industry contacts. Studio System defines a “female lead” as a woman who is listed first in official press materials.

But what about ensemble casts? There isn’t always a lead character, right?

This is true. Many films—especially those big budget superhero ones—feature co-leads or ensemble casts. Here’s how the study addresses the grey zone: “For consistency, and because this designation is generally reflected in the marketing of the film, this analysis uses the first actor listed by Studio System as the lead actor. Some films were billed with a male lead though audiences may perceive the film as being female led. For example, Studio System lists Harrison Ford as the lead in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Mark Hamill as the lead in Star Wars: The Last Jedi though audiences may think of Daisy Ridley as the lead in both.”

Did they use an equal number of female-led and male-led films for this study?

Well that wouldn’t be reflective of popular media, would it? Of the 350 films considered for this study, 105 are listed as female-led and 245 are listed as male-led.

How do you compare a blockbuster like Avengers (which cost $220 million USD and grossed $1.5 billion USD) to a relatively small budget indie film like Lady Bird (which cost $10 million USD and grossed $78 million USD)?

You don’t. The study breaks down films into five production budget categories, the lowest being ‘< $10 million’ and the highest being ‘$100 million+.’

So, what are some of the big films that were released between 2014 and 2017?

There are 11 movies that made $1 billion dollars over that three year period. One of the positive findings of this study was that all films that surpassed the $1 billion mark at the box office passed the Bechdel Test. Here’s the list: Jurassic World, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Furious 7, Beauty and the Beast, The Fate of the Furious, Captain America: Civil War, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Zootopia, Finding Dory. 

But wait, back-up, what is the Bechdel Test?

It’s a simple way to measure if a film is be representative of women. The test is named after the American cartoonist Alison Bechdel—who first put the test into a comic strip in 1985—and it asks whether two named female characters talk to each other about something other than a man. The website bechdeltest.com is a user-edited database that judges whether popular films pass or fail the test, and classified them accordingly.

Well, isn’t it good news if the majority of movies are passing this test?

Let’s be clear: this test is an extremely low bar, and still, 40% of the films in this study do not pass it.

Should I stop watching movies that don’t pass the Bechdel test?

It’s not a perfect test. For example: Twilight, a film that’s been charged with reinforcing gender stereotypes to a dangerous extent, passes. Gravity, which features Sandra Bullock as a fierce, smart and dynamic heroine, fails.

Which major films from 2018 would have been classified as female-led under this study? 

Here are a few of my top picks: Crazy Rich Asians, The Favourite, Eighth Grade, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, Can You Ever Forgive Me, Annihilation, Widows, Ocean’s 8 and Mary Poppins. 

The post New Study Finds Female-Led Movies Make More Money appeared first on FASHION Magazine.