Anyone want to get nice and riled up to start the week? Good. Then check out this alleged statement from a Warner Bros. executive that the studio will no longer do movies with women in the lead. According to LA Weekly reporter Nikki Finke, production president Jeff Robinov made the statement after The Brave One and The Invasion didn't meet expectations at the box office.
So let me get this straight: The reason these movies "failed" at the box office (despite the fact that The Brave One actually won its opening weekend) had nothing to do with their screenplays or premises, the way they were marketed, their supporting players, or any one of the zillions of other decisions that go into creating, producing and releasing a movie. Nope, it was the chicks. I mean, really: What's an Oscar-winning actress like Jodie Foster or Nicole Kidman good for if she can't deliver a box office smash every time?
What really disturbs me about this statement is the notion that actresses are basically expendable — and the related idea that actors are the solution to every problem. Make Daniel Craig's character the lead in The Invasion, and you'd erase all the troubles with the weak, confusing message and not-scary-enough horror elements, right? Except, you know, not.
Photos courtesy of Warner Bros.
Mishumo
Diesel
Full Circle
seriously???
1I'm glad you mentioned this. It's shocking how these types of attitudes still exist. I wonder if the female executives would say anything about this or if they will stay quiet to keep their jobs.
2Misogyny still thrives, even in our "advanced" society.
3This is crazy, Robinov needs to make a public apology and then be fired!
4oh so the fact that the invasion came out the same time when teen comedy superbad came out had no affect on why the invasion did poorly. and so the fact that the brave one came out early in the fall, which means people are settling into school and away from summer movies, had nothing to do why the brave one did not exceed expectations.
so the fact that warner bros. have no idea how to market, time, and promote their movies has nothing to do why their movies are doing poorly to robinov's eyes?
hmm?
5Wow, this is infuriating. I started arguing Robinov's point in my head, and then I was like "wait, there is ZERO basis for his argument, so why argue back?" It is amazing that an executive -- any executive -- would actually have the nerve to make a statement like that in this day and age.
6Ridiculous. I'm so glad I've never worked for these jerks.
7OH NO THEY DIDN'T!!!!
8So this would mean there's not going to be a Wonder Woman movie? Since DC comics is owned by WB. I guess that's the real reason why that was probably dropped for the Justice League premise with Batman and Superman..interesting..very interesting.
9Outrageously stupid. If there is truth to his statement, Robinov needs to issue an apology and a logical explanation for why their films are doing poorly.
10Oh who cares?
11Um. What? Seriously? Seriously?
12Thanks for posting this. It is so awful it makes me sick. A big part of the problem is that there are no longer any female top film execs in Hollywood-- so we have men making movies for women. Of course when the movies don't do well, nobody blames the male writers and directors and producers-- nope, blame it all on the female actors. It's such a load of crap.
Gloria Alldred is calling for a boycott of WB, and I plan to take part.
13How ridiculous. By most critical accounts, those movies were poorly written and not very good to start with. So unless these Oscar winning actresses are also writing these terrible movies, I don't see why any studio should begin to punish them for poor box office ratings.
14What an idiot.
Boycott! Boycott! Why punish the lead women for the faults of crappy scripts and pitful direction? Even the best Oscar-winning actress can't save a sinking ship. Got off your misogynistic high horse WB.
15hey what about Resident Evil?!! It was good and it did really well at the box office!
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