EXPANDING X-MEN TO CAPTURE THE FEMALE AUDIENCE
Expanding X-Men to Capture the Female Audience
Christine Weitbrecht
Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism
University of Southern California
Paper submitted as partial fulfillment of requirements for
CMGT 599: Communicating Entertainment Media Identities
Summer 2011
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EXPANDING X-MEN TO CAPTURE THE FEMALE AUDIENCE
The Brand
History
The X-Men franchise originated as a Marvel comic book series in 1963 and is still
running until this day (Marvel Entertainment, 2010, para. ‘Information’). Written by Stan Lee
and designed by Jack Kirby, the comics have featured a total of 105 X-Men team members over
the years, but have usually focused on six to eight protagonists as the core team (Marvel
Entertainment, 2010, paras. ‘Current Members,’ ‘Former Members,’ ‘Other Members;’ Jack
Kirby Museum & Research Center, 2010, para. ‘Jack Kirby’). Right from their beginnings in the
1960s, the X-Men characters have been adapted to television screens at least ten times, in series
such as The Marvel Super Heroes (1962), X-Men (1992), and X-Men: Evolution (2000; IGN
Entertainment, 2011a, para. 2; IGN Entertainment, 2011b, para. 1, 11). Since 1989, the comic
heroes were also featured in 38 video games, such as The Uncanny X-Men (1989) and X-Men:
The Official Game (2006; GameFAQs 2011, para. 1; Gamespot, 2011, para. 1). However, it is
the franchise’s film adaptations that will be the main focus of this paper, as they not only gave
the X-Men franchise renewed momentum as a whole, but also catapulted it from the ‘geek’
outskirts into mainstream pop culture (IGN Comics, 2006, para. 1, 2).
Film Adaptations
The first installment of the X-Men movie franchise was the film X-Men, released in 2000
by 20th Century Fox (Marvel Entertainment, 2011b, para. ‘Cast and Crew’). The commercial
success of the first film (over $290 million worldwide gross) soon led to the release of four more
X-Men adaptations, two of which were sequels to the first film (X2, released in 2003, and X-Men:
The Last Stand, released in 2006), and the other two prequels (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, 2009,
and X-Men: First Class, 2011; Marvel Entertainment, 2011a, para. ‘Movie Index’).
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So far, all five films combined have earned $931 million in combined box office
revenues worldwide, and according to 20th Century Fox, there are plans for several new X-Men
films in the near future (Box Office Mojo, 2011a, para. ‘X-Men’; De Semlyen, 2009, para. 1).
These films are meant to be continuations of the story lines found in the original X-Men trilogy
(X-Men, X2, and X-Men: The Last Stand), the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, and also the
recent X-Men: First Class film (De Semlyen, 2009a, para. 1; De Semlyen, 2009b, para. 1, 2).
The protagonists of these films are projected to be the usual cast members from the existing films
(e.g. Wolverine, Professor X, Magneto, Mystique, Storm, Beast, etc.) but it has not been decided
who the principal lead characters will be, except in the case of the The Wolverine movie
currently under production (De Semlyen, 2009a, para. 1; De Semlyen, 2009b, para. 1, 2).
Regardless of which characters the producers will choose, however, the crucial ingredient for the
success of these coming movies will remain the same: the branding of the X-Men franchise.
Branding Elements of the X-Men Franchise
It must be noted that there is no official information regarding the X-Men branding
efforts, such as mission, position, or target audience, for example. All branding elements
discussed below are therefore derived solely from observing and studying the branding strategy
of the X-Men movies so far, guided by Keller’s (2009) studies on “building strong brands.”
Brand mission. For men and for comic fans of any age, the X-Men franchise provides
action entertainment and an escape into an immersive fantasy world. Like most other comic and
super hero adaptations, the X-Men franchise focuses on action as a key element in their narration,
and allows its audience to use the narrative and visuals to escape to a different world.
Brand promise. High quality storytelling featuring ALL the mutants you love most. So
far, all X-Men movies have exhibited immense production values in their conception, plots, and
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special effects. While the narrative does not always stay perfectly true to the story arcs within the
original comics, the tone and character portrayal in the movies seem to remain precise enough to
not alienate existing X-Men comic fans, whilst simplifying the X-Men universe for mainstream
audiences (IGN Comics, 2006, para. 1, 2, 3).
Moreover, the X-Men movie franchise also distinguishes itself from other comic
adaptations by continuously featuring the many different characters within the X-Men
protagonist and antagonist teams - unlike focusing on merely one super hero as the main
character. This offers audiences many different super heroes to identify with and does not force
them to approach a storyline through one single protagonist’s point of view. This made spin-offs
involving the background stories of individual X-Men characters, such as Wolverine (X-Men
Origins: Wolverine, 2009), Professor X, Magneto, or Mystique (X-Men: First Class, 2009),
highly successful as well (Box Office Mojo, 2011, para. X-Men).
Brand positioning. For men between 13 and 30 years of age, and for fans of all ages, the
X-Men series is the comic hero franchise that stands out from other comic adaptations because it
offers a variety of lead characters paired with very relatable storytelling. In addition to its
trademark character diversity, the X-Men movies have had a very strong focus on everyday
political and social issues, such as discrimination, social ostracism, the definition of ‘being
normal,’ and questions of identity (Gerde & Foster, 2008). In an age where audiences continue to
face these issues on a daily basis, be it as victims, witnesses, or active citizens, the X-Men
characters quickly become highly relatable for audience members (Gerde & Foster, 2008).
Brand vision. The film series’ producer, Lauren Schuler Donner, envisions the X-Men
movies as a “darker” and long-running “Harry-Potter”-type franchise for adults (De Semlyen,
2009, para. 1). Thus, it can be said that if the X-Men brand achieved all of its goals, both men
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and women between 13 and 30, and all X-Men comic fans, would watch and own all movies
within the X-Men series, and would also buy into the franchise via its merchandise, video games,
online specials, and comic books.
Brand attributes. The X-Men franchise is an immersive fantasy world and a form of
escapism from everyday life. Its overall tone is very unlike other super-hero franchises, however,
as the line between right and wrong, and good and evil, is never perfectly clear. Audiences also
appreciate the franchise’s thematic depth where each of the X-Men continually evaluates which
side they want to be on, and whether the path they have chosen will truly lead them to individual
freedom.
Strategic Challenges Facing the X-Men Brand
Increasing Competition
Despite the constant success of the X-Men franchise, the brand still faces tough
competition from other movie franchises, specifically those that fit into the action, adventure,
science fiction, and fantasy genres. Like many other trades, the entertainment industry has
become a zero sum market, meaning that the number of consumers remains relatively constant
even though new media technologies have reduced barriers of entry for new brands aiming to
enter the market. As a result, entertainment businesses must “take customers away from
competing brands” (McDowell, 2006, p. 232) in order to remain profitable, and more than
anything, must avoid becoming “equivalent substitutes” (McDowell, 2006, p. 235). According to
McDowell (2006), “equivalent substitutes” (p.232) are brands that, in the consumers’ opinion,
deliver the exact same service, experience, or performance as other brands in the same market,
and therefore lose their distinctive brand equity and, consequently, consumer loyalty and
preference.
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In the film franchise market, X-Men is therefore facing strong competition from highly
successful brands such as Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, The Twilight
Saga, and, most recently, DC Comic’s release of The Green Lantern. As a result, the X-Men
brand must continually convince audiences to spend their attention and money on the next
installment of its franchise, and must always give spectators reasons as to why X-Men is worth
seeing over a competitor’s sequel that may look equally as enticing.
The ‘Harry Potter’ franchise. Although the final Harry Potter film has now been
released, its creators are ensuring that the franchise will remain profitable and competitive for
decades. Including the last film, the Harry Potter films have grossed more than $7.2 billion
worldwide (Box Office Mojo, 2011a, para. Harry Potter). An additional $1 billion has been
earned from the video games (Clarkson, 2010, para. 15), and nearly six million people have
already visited Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park in its first year
(Amos, 2011, para. 6). On June 23, 2011, author J.K. Rowling announced the franchise’s newest
brand extension, Pottermore.com (Rowling, 2011). According to Rowling’s announcement on
YouTube, Pottermore will be a unique, online reading experience where the user participates as
the story unfolds (Rowling, 2011). Rowling envisions that “Pottermore will be the place where
fans of any age can share, participate in, and rediscover the stories” and where will disclose
information about the Harry Potter world that she has never shared before (Rowling, 2011).
Taking Harry Potter into this new medium will further change the competitive landscape for
film and (comic) book franchises, as it offers consumers multiple entry points into the world of
Harry Potter, and increases their loyalty to the brand. Given that the X-Men franchise aims to be
a new Harry Potter –like film and media series, X-Men needs to innovate with strategic brand
extensions that keep current fans active in the X-Men universe.
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The ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchise. The Pirates of the Caribbean (Pirates) is one
of Disney’s most valuable franchises. The total domestic gross of the first four film installments
(approx. $1.3 billion) surpasses the combined first four X-Men films ($786 million) by almost
half a billion dollars (Box Office Mojo, 2011b, 2011c, 2011d, 2011e, 2011f, para. ‘Total
Domestic Gross’). An interesting point to consider, however, is that audience reviews of Pirates
of the Caribbean over time have been significantly lower than reviews of X-Men. One reason
why Pirates grossed higher than X-Men may be that X-Men does not attract as diverse of an
audience as Pirates. According to the SuperHeroHype blog, X-Men 3: The Last Stand garnered a
63% male audience (LittleMissVixen, 2006, para. 3). While the audience demographics for
Pirates are not available, it can be hypothesized that it attracts a significant female audience
largely because of its highly attractive male leads (Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom) and strong
female characters (Keira Knightley and Penelope Cruz).
The ‘Twilight’ franchise. Focusing solely on romance, The Twilight Saga sells itself
very differently from all other franchises. With a total gross of $790 million to date, its
profitability is close to X-Men’s (Box Office Mojo, 2011a, para. ‘Twilight’), but Twilight a twopart finale left to capitalize on (November 2011 and November 2012) (Breaking Dawn – The
Movie, 2011). The main competitive advantage that Twilight has over X-Men is its appeal to the
female viewers of a variety of ages (Marks, 2008, para. 8). In a market that is dominated by
comic-hero-adaptations and action-franchises aimed at a predominantly male audience, Twilight
has found its niche market through its unique audience appeal.
DC Comics’ ‘The Green Lantern.’ DC Comics has run neck on neck with Marvel
Comics for decades. Founded in 1934, five years earlier than Marvel Comics, it now operates as
a subsidiary of Warner Bros (DC Comics, 2011). DC Comics grew particularly successful
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through characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, and, most recently, The Green
Lantern. However, despite these successes, Marvel has maintained greater brand equity over the
years because of a key competitive advantage: A shared universe for all of its brands, so that
characters appear in one another’s comic books, which in turn adds depth and consistency to
Marvel’s storylines (Kit, 2008, para. 3). As a result, fans feel more connected to the characters
and immersed in the Marvel Universe (Kit, 2008, para. 3).
Much to Marvel’s relief, The Green Lantern was a severe disappointment at the box
office. Since its release on June 17, 2011, it has only grossed $147 million worldwide, compared
to X-Men: First Class’s $347 million (Box Office Mojo, 2011g, 2011h, para. Total Lifetime
Grosses Worldwide). While there have been many opinions on why and how The Green Lantern
failed to appeal to mainstream audiences, most of them have focused on the extreme importance
placed on special effects leading to a loss in plot quality, and the and the inconsistent brand
positioning of The Green Lantern (DC’s iconic hero characters with stand-alone films, instead of
Marvel’s character universe) (Kit, 2011). Marvel’s competitive advantage over DC is therefore
its brand consistency and equity, and as long as Marvel stays true to its brand promise, subbrands, like X-Men, will continue to be strong contenders at the box office.
Production Costs
Another key challenge for the X-Men film franchise and for most film franchises are
rising production costs. Since the 1970s, studios have been engaged in a continuous production
value-race, fueled by the emergence of blockbusters and so-called tent-pole movies that were
supposed to balance studios’ overall annual movie investments (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos,
2011). However, this production-value race has ultimately led to exploding movie budgets,
particularly for franchises that aim to provide unparalleled spectacle to mainstream audiences
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(Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2011). For example, production budgets for the five X-Men films
have ranged from $75 to $210 million, which is comparable to the third Transformers’ $195
million budget or Green Lantern’s $200 million expenditure (Box Office Mojo, 2011c, 2011d,
2011e, 2011f, 2011g, 2011h, 2011i, para. ‘Production Budget’). Given the fact that the movie
industry is highly competitive, however, and particularly the fact that there is no real formula to
ensure a movie will be a success (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2011), such rising production
budgets have become very risky investments, even to the extent that a failure at the box office
can render a studio bankrupt (CNBC, 2010). For example, The Green Lantern’s budget created
huge losses for Warner Bros. when the film fell extremely short of expectations and did not
break even (Kit, 2011, para. 5). Marvel’s brands, specifically X-Men, have always been character
and story driven, but in order for the brand to remain competitive, the films also have to be
visually impressive. X-Men’s challenge will be to pair the depth of its stories with innovative and
appealing visual effects that will not be costly enough to endanger the liquidity of its producers.
Audience Appeal
Finally, due to new media technologies, the entertainment market has become
increasingly fragmented (Anderson, 2009). Not only can audiences currently watch anything at
any time anywhere, but they are also offered an almost infinite choice of entertainment content
(Anderson, 2009). As a result, the competition for individual audience members (i.e. consumers)
has become extremely fierce in this over-saturated market (Anderson, 2009), and brands such as
X-Men must carefully position themselves in order to reach and appeal to their target audience
(Keller & Lehmann, 2006). At the same time, however, entertainment businesses may also have
to lure these consumers away from competitors’ media content (McDowell, 2006), and must
recover their immense production costs, particularly in the case of franchises (Campbell, Martin,
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& Fabos, 2011). A key challenge for X-Men and other franchises is therefore to successfully
integrate these conflicting objectives: Appeal to a mainstream audience to recover costs, but
target a particular type of audience as a brand; find a niche to make the best out of a fragmented
market (Anderson, 2009), but be appealing enough to steal audiences from competitors in a zerosum market (McDowell, 2006). So far, many franchises have built on expanding international
markets to augment their audience numbers, but once these also become saturated, the challenge
of appealing to the right audience will become even more crucial.
Recommendations
Market Opportunities
It becomes clear, then, that the X-Men franchise operates in a highly complex market with
many different contestations. The most crucial insight of all, however, is that except for Twilight,
there is no franchise or even installment that is aimed directly at a female audience.
Nevertheless, female viewers could prove immensely valuable in entertainment’s zero-sum
market; not only do women possess an enormous purchasing power, but as past successes have
proven, they also respond extremely well to media content featuring female protagonists.
Surveying women’s interests. In order to assess women’s attitudes towards super hero
franchises and towards the female X-Men characters in particular, the authors conducted a survey
amongst 61 women between the ages of 18 and 40. According to this survey, female audiences
are in fact very interested in the superhero genre, with over 80% of respondents having watched
at least one Harry Potter, Spiderman or Batman movie, and 67% having watched at least one of
the X-Men films. Moreover, a combined 64% of participants stated that they would be somewhat
to very likely to watch a science-fiction/fantasy movie involving a super hero.
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Strong indications of preference. While one cannot prove a causal relationship, the
authors have observed parallels between strong, independent female protagonists and higher
female audience approval. For example, in the recent Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part
2 release, women comprised 54% of the total domestic audience (McClintock, 2011b, para. 7),
unlike Transformers 3, whose audience was dominated by men (61%; McClintock, 2011b, para.
1,8). Moreover, Harry Potter featured a strong female heroine (Hermoine Granger) while
Transformers’ leading lady was often called a “sexbot” (Child, 2011). Looking at these data, it
may not be surprising that only Harry Potter made the survey respondents’ Top 3.
Similarly, the third most liked franchise in the study, X-Men, can be said to have
extremely strong female characters, such as Storm, Rogue, Mystique, and Jean Grey. Each one
of the X-“Women” possesses a unique ability, and the male characters rely on the females’
contributions in fighting for their cause. Mystique, for example, is Magneto’s most trusted and
skilled partner, while Storm’s intelligence and abilities have made her Professor X’s right hand.
Finally, female action hero franchises have proven successful in the past. These include
the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Xena: Warrior Princess, as well as films such
as Kill Bill, Tomb Raider, and Charlie's Angels. For example, Buffy originally aired on The WB
from 1997-2003, garnered between four and six million viewers each new episode, and has since
been syndicated to networks around the world (WayBackMachine, 2011). Furthermore,
Charlie’s Angels, a television series turned film franchise, was groundbreaking in its actiondriven depiction of the three female private investigators, roles that had previously been reserved
for men. Its two films, released in 2000 and 2003, achieved worldwide grosses of $264 million
and $259 million, respectively (Box Office Mojo, 2011j, 2011k).
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Proposed Brand Extension: ‘X-Men Origins: The Divide’
Given the success of super hero movies featuring female protagonists, and to expand the
existing audience for X-Men, we would like to propose an X-Men installment focusing on two
female leads, Storm and Mystique, as an extension to the X-Men brand that is aimed at a female
audience. Both Storm and Mystique were among the three female X-Men our survey participants
recalled the most often, and given the franchise’s current focus on prequels, the X-Men universe
would benefit from a narrative explaining the background of two characters the female audience
values greatly. The branding elements of this X-Men extension can be defined as follows (Keller,
2009):
Brand mission. For women and for comic fans of any age, the X-Men installment
focusing on Storm and Mystique provides engaging female characters (expanding on the brand’s
strong character variety) and plots, as well as an escape into an immersive fantasy world.
Brand position. For women between 13 and 30 years of age, and for fans of all ages, the
X-Men installment featuring Storm and Mystique as protagonists is the film franchise that stands
out from other movie series because it offers female lead characters paired with complex
storytelling and comic heroism rather than mere romance.
Thus, unlike the ‘general’ X-Men brand the Storm/Mystique installment is aimed at a
predominantly female target audience between the ages of 13 to 30, which wants to see proactive
and strong women on the silver screen. The goal would be to target the Twilight franchise
audience and interest them in X-Men by advertising the female strength and heroism showcased
in the next installment. While it maintains X-Men’s trademark story depth and focus on a variety
of characters, it will be less action-based and more character-driven. It is a new form of female
escapism that is not confined solely to romance or comedy, and reflects the increasingly
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empowered women in today’s society through Storm and Mystique’s personal abilities and their
mutations. By focusing on a female audience, X-Men will refine its brand and ideally enter a
new niche market.
Content. The most recent X-Men release, X-Men: First Class, has already begun to tell
Mystique’s story, and as it happens, Storm and Mystique share many biographic parallels: Both
are left without parents from an early age and fend for themselves through stealing. Each of the
two encounters discrimination throughout their lives, based on both mutation and race, and both
are asked by Professor X to join the X-Men. Looking at the X-Men’s characteristic themes of
heroes struggling with their powers, identities, and allegiance to the ‘right’ cause, and given the
fact that Mystique ultimately joins Magneto’s side and Storm becomes a key member of the XMen, the parallels in Storm and Mystique’s lives offer a great opportunity to delve further into
the equally typical X-Men theme of making individual choices to find the path that will lead one
to freedom. As our survey shows, conflicting and complex storylines featuring significant
character development are a feature many women look for in a movie, and one of the reasons
why Mystique is liked by so many is her complex personal history. As one survey respondent
reported: “She suffered a lot in her life, therefore I can understand why she fights the people that
[sic] mistreated and humiliated her. She is one of the most interesting characters even if I don't
approve her methods.”
Another key appeal of both Storm and Mystique are their physical and mental
capabilities, which our survey participants stressed repeatedly:
[Mystique] is capable, and although she has in the past sided with people who may
not be the most moral she does eventually do the right thing. She is unafraid to be who
she is, and is able to fight and defeat male characters with ease.
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All these women possess great powers and each has a different story line. ... Most sci-fi
movies encompass [sic] men with super powers and with X-Men it's nice to see the
women can hold their own!
Budget. A brand extension featuring Storm and Mystique would also be financially
feasible. The first installment, X-Men (2000) cost approximately $75 million to make (Box
Office Mojo, 2011c). Given that the cost of special effects is quickly decreasing, and that female
audiences are looking less for special effects than for story depth and personal development,
according to our survey, a Storm/Mystique production could be budgeted at around $45 million
(excluding marketing). Moreover, as an established global brand, X-Men could easily tap into its
brand equity to promote its newest spin-off.
Physical expression. As a sequel to X-Men: First Class, we recommend the title X-Men
Origins: The Divide for a Storm/Mystique installment. On the one hand, this title would allude to
the different choices Storm and Mystique make in their pursuit of freedom from discrimination,
while on the hand, the title would also indicate how the ‘divide’ between the X-Men team and
the Brotherhood of Mutants manifests after crystallizing in First Class. Moreover, using ‘origins’
as part of the film’s name would clearly communicate the focus on personal back-stories, and
would remind audiences of the highly successful X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. A poster of
the installment could look as follows:
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Possible Challenges Facing X-Men Origins: The Divide
Failure to deliver on brand promise. As Adamson (2009) points out, delivering on
what a brand promises is crucial for the survival of both the product and the brand. As its past
successes have shown, the X-Men brand has consistently kept its brand promise of quality
storytelling, character depth, and character variety. However, if The Divide falls short of these
expectations, it could seriously endanger the economic success and the reputation of this X-Men
brand extension.
Lack of audience. Even though the participants in our survey indicated that they would
be likely to watch a super hero movie, it is unsure whether they will act on this statement.
According to McDowell (2006), this is a common problem in market research: Respondents will
say one thing, to please the researcher or to abide by societal convention, but think and act
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differently. Thus, it cannot be guaranteed that The Divide will appeal to a female audience; after
all, romantic comedies and dramas are the favorite genres amongst women to this day, and some
super heroine adaptations, such as Catwoman and Elektra, have failed in the past as well.
Failure to stand alone. Brand extensions are often a great way to expand a brand’s
appeal to a certain group of consumers. However, as Kapferer (2004) points out, not all
extensions profit from their original’s brand equity. In order to be successful, Kapferer argues, a
brand extension must be able to both stand alone and fit into the greater brand equity framework
of the original. Thus, the appeal of The Divide will depend on its ability to be a brand of its own
(i.e. the super heroine movie with strong women) whilst simultaneously fitting into the greater XMen brand (i.e. exceptional and ‘deep’ storytelling, great action, and engaging characters).
Conclusion
Looking at past successes of superhero media based on female protagonists, and given
female audiences’ appreciation of action based science-fiction and fantasy movies, an X-Men
movie centering on two female characters would be an ideal brand extension for the X-Men
franchise. Garnering new consumers in today’s zero-sum media market is crucial, and women
can be a key market for a genre that has traditionally been aimed mostly at men. So far, the only
franchise catering exclusively to women is The Twilight Saga, but their stories have frequently
been criticized for being too dramatic and cheesy (Dargis, 2008); X-Men could use this criticism
as an advantage and offer more action and story driven content to an eager female audience. Due
to the franchise’s story driven nature, a Storm/Mystique spin-off would even be comparatively
inexpensive to make. And as both Storm and Mystique are highly attractive women in a team
whose standard team lineup features both male and female characters, it is likely that a film
focused on them would even appeal to a male demographic as well.
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Consequently, it is also very likely that The Divide will be able to meet any challenges it
may face. For example, the usual and hitherto successful X-Men writers and producers could be
employed once more to ensure that the film delivers on the X-Men brand promise of quality
storytelling and character variety. And the proposed content for The Divide – Storm and
Mystique’s individual struggles with discrimination and their choices leading to their personal
freedom – already offers a great starting point for meaningful storytelling.
Moreover, this existing staff could be paired with scriptwriters of female action hero
successes, such as Buffy and Charlie’s Angels. This combination could then also ensure that The
Divide develops its own personality and strong female focus, but within the realm of the existing
X-Men franchise: A robust brand within the brand that benefits from the X-Men brand equity, but
is unique enough to also stand alone as a movie. And finally, if it is still doubtful whether The
Divide would truly appeal enough to female audiences so that they would watch it in theatres,
additional market research could help predict the actual viability of such an X-Men brand
extension.
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