The “Charlie’s Angels” reboot is the latest movie to bomb at the box office, following Gemini Man and Terminator: Dark Fate. The Elizabeth Banks directed action-comedy opened to a disastrously disappointing $8 million at the box office.
Prior to the movie’s opening weekend, Banks gave an interview to the Herald Sun that is now proving to be somewhat controversial. The director, who also wrote, produced and stars in the movie called out a potential box office bomb as being sexist.
“Look, people have to buy tickets to this movie, too. This movie has to make money,” she said. “If this movie doesn’t make money it reinforces a stereotype in Hollywood that men don’t go see women do action movies.”
Some critics were quick to point out that “Charlie’s Angels” bombing doesn’t prove men will not go pay to see an action movie starring women. Earlier this year, “Captain Marvel” grossed $426 million in the U.S. and over $1.1 billion at the worldwide box office. “Wonder Women” ended its summer 2017 run with $821 million worldwide. But Banks says these female-fronted comic book films are still tied to a large male genre.
“They’ll go and see a comic book movie with Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel because that’s a male genre,” Banks told the Sun. “So even though those are movies about women, they put them in the context of feeding the larger comic book world, so it’s all about, yes, you’re watching a Wonder Woman movie but we’re setting up three other characters or we’re setting up ‘Justice League.’”
In another interview before the film’s opening weekend with the Wall Street Journal, Banks defended her decision to make another “Charlie’s Angels” movie. The last “Charlie’s Angels” films starred Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu and were released in 2000 and 2003.
“You’ve had 37 Spider-Man movies and you’re not complaining!” Banks said. “I think women are allowed to have one or two action franchises every 17 years — I feel totally fine with that.”
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