Wonder Woman Shatters Box Office With Biggest Female Director Opening Ever.
Wonder Woman smashed records this weekend to become the biggest domestic opening for a female director ever. Directed by Patty Jenkins and starring Gal Gadot under Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment, the film grossed an estimated $100.5 million at more than 4,000 theaters domestically, according to a statement from Warner Bros. Thursday night’s pre-show raked in $11 million alone. Lana and Lilly Wachowski previously held the record for “The Matrix Reloaded,” which opened May 15, 2003, and grossed almost $92M in its first weekend. The Hollywood Reporter previously pegged “Wonder Woman” debut at $95M in North American and upward of $100 million internationally, based on pre-release tracking. Jenkins said she was intent on getting the character of Wonder Woman right because of what the representation of heroism means. “I’m such a believer in the genre because I’m a believer in mankind turning stories into about what it means to be a hero and what would I do if I was a hero and how would that feel,” she told Screen Rant. “And so, you know, there is always that opportunity in any movie with a metaphor to use to make something beautiful that really touches people. And this is such an important time in the world for people to think about what kind of hero they would want to be and what we’re going to do to save this world that I was honored to get to join in the dialogue.”
The movie had to face an uphill battle of sexism both on screen and off. From perfectly chiding “its male mudslingers with humor and grace” in the script to offering a women only screening of the film in spite of male critics, “Wonder Woman” stands as an emblem of female empowerment. Reaching Hollywood’s biggest opening weekend for a female director is certainly a glass-ceiling-breaking milestone, but Jenkins says there is still more that needs to be done when it comes to who gets to tell Hollywood’s stories. “Until studios change their ways and stop only generating from within the same small group of people and until they become interested in attracting more diverse kinds of stories and audiences, women directors will continue to be one of the many, many kind of collateral damage,” Jenkins told LeanIn. “If you are still focused on attracting young men to the box office, you will continue to hire mostly (formerly) young men to speak to them. The irony is that the data now clearly shows that this audience is no longer the most powerful in the world. Middle-aged women are. Yet the studio system still seems very slow to figure out how to shift their approach.”
After the weekend’s box office numbers came out, Twitter users wanted to remind the world that female directors and superhero fans are and have always been awesome. Even Producer Joss Whedon adorably responded to the backlash of the “women only” first screening to those male critics claiming it was sexist with this tweet:
“Don’t worry angry dudes, you can stop being angry now ? To all the dudes upset about the all-female “wonder Woman” movie screenings: fear not! There was already an all-male screening. “I got to see Wonder Woman by myself weeks ago so shut up, there’s already been a man-only screening,” adding: “Oh and it’s a goddamn delight.” Oh, Joss, you are a goddamn delight.
Thank God For Some Male Producers In Hollywood Not Afraid To Go Against “Old Men In Suits” To Make Movies About Strong Female Heroes!!!
Susan Z’s Conclusion:
I believe the movie will do more than very well. The previews are good and with the strong feminist movement happening now, you will be seeing lots of little girls in Wonder Woman outfits and probably some big girls too! Lol!
Strength: Inverted (Upside Down) This card is inner strength. Since inverted, I feel the movie is trying to bring about a different definition of what society calls female strength.
Knight of Wands: Inverted
This card is wanting freedom to do what you want to do and impatience. I feel this is both the director and the producer’s energy in getting this movie made.
The Fool: Inverted
This card is trust, faith and optimism. Since pulled inverted, I believe many felt there was a naïve approach this movie would be accepted by movie goers and not laughed at as just a “woman trying to act like a man”.
Susan Z Rich is an emotional addiction counselor, spiritual intuitive and holistic therapist. She counsels others to see life in a more positive way and teaches personal accountability for life choices. She is also the author of several children’s books and Soul Windows…Secrets From The Divine.