Guy Tada
10/14/13
COMM 240
Who Said Girls Can’t Throw a Punch: Female Lead Action Movies
Introduction:
After reflecting upon the blockbuster heavy summer movie season, I realized that
almost every action film I could remember watching always had male actors in the lead
heroic role. For example, common conceptions of action film heroes typically came in male
types: dashing superheroes and rugged adventurers. On the other hand, females were
stereotypically seen as the damsels in distress for the men to save. Granted, there were a
few exceptions I could think of, but overall, male leads have dominated the action genre
while Hollywood delegates female actors to star in romantic movies. This thought led me to
wonder, can action movies with a sole female lead break through the genre barrier and find
equal or even more success than movies with male leads? Furthermore, does Hollywood
even support the production of female action films? Drawing from the established gender
binary in the world today, I hypothesize that non-female lead action films typically make
more money than female lead action films.
Method:
In order to test my questions, I based my definition of “success” in financial terms
using total worldwide box office figures (boxofficemojo.com.) For my sample size, I decided
to focus on wide release films – those that had been in at least 600 theaters nationwide –
between 2002 and 2012. With no success finding a definitive list of action movies online, I
decided to go through all of the wide release films between 2002-2012. Using Wikipedia as
a resource, I compiled my own comprehensive list of action movies. Some of the movies in
my list overlap genres: adventure, science fiction or action-comedy. For my independent
variable, I chose films that featured and relied on a sole female lead to headline an action
movie. After I compiled my initial lists, however, I observed that there were hundreds of
non-female lead action movies versus only a few dozen female action movies between 2002
and 2012. To equalize the sample sizes, I then compiled the top ten female lead action
movies and the top ten non-female lead action movies to compare their box office earnings
and production budgets.
Female Lead Movie
The Hunger Games
Snow White and the Huntsman
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Salt
Charlies Angels: Full Throttle
Resident Evil: Retribution
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Underworld: Awakening
Worldwide Total Gross
$691,247,768
$396,592,829
$296,221,663
$293,503,354
$259,175,788
$240,159,255
$180,949,045
$160,112,671
Budget
$78,000,000
$170,000,000
$60,000,000
$110,000,000
$120,000,000
$65,000,000
$30,000,000
$70,000,000
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of
Life
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Resident Evil: Extinction
Non-Female Lead Movie
Avatar
The Avengers
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the
King
Skyfall
The Dark Knight Rises
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead
Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: On
Stranger Tides
The Dark Knight
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's
End
$156,505,388
$152,159,461
$147,717,833
Worldwide Total Gross
$95,000,000
$30,000,000
$45,000,000
Budget
$2,782,275,172
$1,511,757,910
$1,123,794,079
$237,000,000
$220,000,000
$195,000,000
$1,119,929,521
$1,108,561,013
$1,084,439,099
$94,000,000
$200,000,000
$250,000,000
$1,066,179,725
$225,000,000
$1,043,871,802
$1,004,558,444
$250,000,000
$185,000,000
$963,420,425
$300,000,000
Results:
Based on my results, my hypothesis is correct with some key factors to keep in
mind. From 2002 to 2012, there were 244 action movies with non-female leads. Those
films made a total worldwide average of $257,941,373 at the box office. In that same time
period, there were only 31 action movies with a sole female lead. Those films made a total
worldwide average of $140,092,715.58 at the box office (Figure one.)
Reaching this point in my study, two things immediately struck me. First, the
inequality in number of films produced between the two types of action movies – female
lead / non-female lead – astounded me. Perhaps because action movies target young male
audiences, Hollywood studios greenlight action films thinking that a paying male audience
can aspire to be the male stars, identify with them, interact with them, and compare
themselves to the male leads. Secondly, it became clear that non-female lead movies made
much more money at the box office.
After further analyzing the data, one more hidden trend became evident for me:
while both types of movies deliver a return on investment, non-female lead action movies
draw in more revenue proportional to their initial budget. After equalizing the sample
sizes, the top ten female lead action movies earned an average of $270,395,005 whereas
the top ten non-female lead action movies earned an average of $1,280,878,719 (Figure
two.) Granted, some of these non-female lead movies featured actresses in starring roles.
However, these roles were often the damsel in distress or the counterpart to a male costar/ensemble. The top ten female lead action movies had an average budget of
$79,363,636 whereas the top ten non-female lead action movies had an average budget of
$215,600,000. Despite non-female lead action movies earning more and having greater
budgets, female lead movies can still be enormously profitable. As most movie costs
typically include doubling the budget to account for marketing and advertisement, the top
ten female lead movies earned an average profit of $111,667,733 or 242% of their
production costs back. The top ten non-female lead action movies, on the other hand,
earned an average profit of $849,678,719 or 394% of their production costs back (Figure
three.)
Even though my results supported my original hypothesis, I cannot discount the
potential for female lead action movies. Based on my results, these films can actually turn a
profit on often smaller budgets, meaning less financial risk compared to the huge megablockbusters that feature non-female leads. Often gigantic films with male protagonists
feature a huge draw in name such as a comic book property or franchise that will target a
large audience. If Hollywood studios invested in female lead action movies the way they do
non-female lead action movies, then perhaps we might see the floodgates open for the next
wave of great female action heroines on film. We know that lesser funded movies starring
women are profitable, but what is Hollywood waiting for? Looking toward the future, my
data only supports that a well-funded movie with brand identity such as “Wonder Woman”
or a “Princess Leia Spinoff” could succeed at the box office just as well as today’s
“Superman” or “Star Trek.”
Figure one:
Figure two:
Figure three:
Appendix:
Full Female Lead Action Film List 2002-2012:
Female Lead Movie
The Hunger Games
Snow White and the Huntsman
Resident Evil: Afterlife
Salt
Charlies Angels: Full Throttle
Resident Evil: Retribution
Kill Bill Vol. 1
Underworld: Awakening
Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Resident Evil: Extinction
V for Vendetta
Resident Evil: Apocalypse
Underworld: Evolution
Zero Dark Thirty
Resident Evil
Underworld
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
Sucker Punch
Catwoman
The Brave One
Hanna
Colombiana
Elektra
Aeon Flux
Haywire
Ultraviolet
Domino
Whiteout
Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li
Bloodrayne
Worldwide Total Gross
$691,247,768
$396,592,829
$296,221,663
$293,503,354
$259,175,788
$240,159,255
$180,949,045
$160,112,671
$156,505,388
$152,159,461
$147,717,833
$132,511,035
$129,394,835
$111,340,801
$108,720,716
$102,441,078
$95,708,457
$91,353,501
$89,792,502
$82,102,379
$69,787,663
$63,782,078
$60,965,854
$56,681,566
$52,304,001
$33,372,606
$31,070,211
$22,944,502
$17,840,867
$12,764,201
$3,650,275
Full Non-Female Lead Action Film List 2002-2012:
Non-Female Lead Movie
Avatar
The Avengers
Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Worldwide Total Gross
$2,782,275,172
$1,511,757,910
$1,123,794,079
The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King
Skyfall
The Dark Knight Rises
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
The Dark Knight
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Spider-Man 3
Transformers Revenge of the Fallen
Inception
Spider-Man
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Spider-Man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Matrix Reloaded
Transformers
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
Fast Five
Hancock
Iron Man 2
Casino Royale
Quantum of Solace
Iron Man
King Kong
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Sherlock Holmes
Troy
Clash of the Titans
Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Mr. and Mrs. Smith
X-Men: The Last Stand
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
The Last Samurai
300
Thor
Bourne Ultimatum
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Die Another Day
Matrix Revolutions
$1,119,929,521
$1,108,561,013
$1,084,439,099
$1,066,179,725
$1,043,871,802
$1,004,558,444
$963,420,425
$926,047,111
$890,871,626
$836,303,693
$825,532,764
$821,708,551
$786,636,033
$783,766,341
$752,216,557
$742,128,461
$709,709,780
$694,713,380
$654,264,015
$626,137,675
$624,386,746
$623,933,331
$599,045,960
$586,090,727
$585,174,222
$550,517,357
$545,448,418
$524,028,679
$497,409,852
$493,214,993
$481,800,873
$478,207,520
$459,359,555
$457,364,600
$456,758,981
$456,068,181
$449,326,618
$442,824,138
$433,371,112
$431,971,116
$427,343,298
Django Unchained
X2: X-Men United
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
Tron Legacy
Mission Impossible 3
Superman Returns
Star Trek
Live Free or Die Hard
Taken 2
Batman Begins
Adventures of Tintin
The Golden Compass
Terminator Salvation
Captain America: The First Avenger
Fast and Furious
The Karate Kid
Minority Report
X-Men: First Class
National Treasure
Wanted
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Fantastic Four
Robin Hood
Inglourious Basterds
The Last Airbender
Wrath of the Titans
Battleship
GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra
The Expendables 2
Van Helsing
Real Steel
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Bourne Supremacy
John Carter
The Tourist
xXx
Bourne Legacy
The Expendables
Bad Boys 2
10,000 BC
The Incredible Hulk
$425,368,238
$407,711,549
$401,128,639
$400,062,763
$397,850,012
$391,081,192
$385,680,446
$383,531,464
$376,141,306
$374,218,673
$373,993,951
$372,234,864
$371,353,001
$370,569,774
$363,164,265
$359,126,022
$358,372,926
$353,624,124
$347,512,318
$341,433,252
$335,154,643
$330,579,719
$321,669,741
$321,455,689
$319,713,881
$305,270,083
$303,025,485
$302,469,017
$300,428,192
$300,257,475
$295,468,508
$289,047,763
$288,500,217
$282,778,100
$278,346,189
$277,448,382
$276,144,750
$274,470,394
$273,339,556
$269,784,201
$263,427,551
Knight and Day
Rush Hour 3
The Hulk
2 Fast 2 Furious
Constantine
Get Smart
Ghost Rider
The Green Hornet
Immortals
Taken
Jumper
Green Lantern
Jack Reacher
Bourne Identity
Battle Los Angeles
Kingdom of Heaven
District 9
Safe House
SWAT
King Arthur
Red
Total Recall
Sum of All Fears
Tropic Thunder
Watchmen
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Daredevil
Eagle Eye
The A-Team
Looper
Cowboys and Aliens
In Time
Unstoppable
Alexander
Scorpion King
Hellboy 2
Sin City
Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift
The Book of Eli
This Means War
Blade 2
$261,930,436
$258,022,233
$245,360,480
$236,350,661
$230,884,728
$230,685,453
$228,738,393
$227,817,248
$226,904,017
$226,830,568
$222,231,186
$219,851,172
$218,340,595
$214,034,224
$211,819,354
$211,652,051
$210,819,611
$208,076,205
$207,725,639
$203,567,857
$199,006,387
$198,467,168
$193,921,372
$188,072,649
$185,258,983
$179,265,204
$179,179,718
$178,066,569
$177,238,796
$176,506,819
$174,822,325
$173,930,596
$167,805,466
$167,298,192
$165,333,180
$160,388,063
$158,753,820
$158,468,292
$157,107,755
$156,491,279
$155,010,032
I Am Number 4
Legend of Zorro
The Bounty Hunter
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Three Musketeers
Unknown
Man of Fire
The Forbidden Kingdom
Predators
Law Abiding Citizen
Surrogates
Apocalypto
Sahara
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
The Chronicles of Riddick
Rambo
Transporter 3
Hidalgo
The Recruit
Hitman
Hellboy
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Killers
Contraband
Kick-Ass
Shooter
TMNT
Speed Racer
House of Flying Daggers
Season of the Witch
Shanghai Knights
The Kingdom
Tears of the Sun
Max Payne
Transporter 2
Reign of Fire
Abduction
Act of Valor
The Rundown
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Hot Fuzz
$144,500,437
$142,400,065
$136,333,522
$132,563,930
$132,274,484
$130,786,397
$130,293,714
$127,980,002
$127,233,108
$126,690,726
$122,444,772
$120,654,337
$119,269,486
$116,471,580
$115,772,733
$113,244,290
$108,979,549
$108,103,450
$101,191,884
$99,965,792
$99,318,987
$98,185,582
$98,159,963
$96,262,212
$96,188,903
$95,696,996
$95,696,996
$93,945,766
$92,863,945
$91,627,228
$88,323,487
$86,658,558
$86,468,162
$85,416,905
$85,167,639
$82,150,183
$82,087,155
$81,272,766
$80,916,492
$80,630,608
$80,573,774
Collateral Damage
Priest
The Grey
Stealth
Drive
Next
Death Race
Count of Monte Cristo
Bablyon AD
xXx: State of the Union
3:10 to Yuma
Takers
Legion
Bad Company
16 Blocks
Ninja Assasin
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Dragonball Evolution
Walking Tall
Smoking Aces
Cradle 2 the Grave
Killer Elite
Doom
The Punisher
Lawless
From Paris with Love
The Mechanic
Push
Conan the Barbarian
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Torque
Man on a Ledge
The Hunted
Red Dawn
Machete
The Transporter
Crank
Bangkok Dangerous
Never Back Down
Gamer
War
$78,382,433
$78,309,131
$77,278,331
$76,932,872
$76,175,166
$76,066,841
$75,677,515
$75,395,048
$72,108,608
$71,022,693
$70,016,220
$69,055,695
$67,918,658
$65,977,295
$65,664,721
$61,601,280
$57,958,696
$57,497,699
$57,223,890
$57,103,895
$56,489,558
$56,383,756
$55,987,321
$54,700,105
$53,676,580
$52,826,594
$51,070,807
$48,858,618
$48,795,021
$47,664,559
$46,546,197
$46,221,189
$45,496,534
$44,806,783
$44,093,316
$43,928,932
$42,931,041
$42,487,390
$41,627,431
$40,828,540
$40,452,643
Safe
Bulletproof Monk
Faster
Dredd
Assault on Precinct 13
Flight of the Phoenix
Crank High Voltage
The Medallion
Fighting
Lockout
Premium Rush
Pathfinder
The Losers
Drive Angry 3D
Appaloosa
The Eagle
Shoot Em Up
RocknRolla
The Last Legion
Warrior
Doomsday
Ballistic: Ecks Vs. Sever
Man with the Iron Fists
Repo Men
Flyboys
12 Rounds
Cold Light of Day
The Warrior's Way
Extreme Ops
Jonah Hex
Punisher: War Zone
The Condemned
Redline
Dylan Dog
$40,346,186
$37,713,879
$35,626,958
$35,626,525
$35,294,470
$34,586,268
$34,560,577
$34,268,701
$32,474,120
$32,204,030
$31,083,599
$30,822,861
$29,379,723
$28,931,401
$27,665,851
$27,122,040
$26,820,641
$25,739,015
$25,303,038
$23,057,115
$22,211,426
$19,924,033
$19,721,245
$18,409,891
$17,834,865
$17,280,326
$16,863,583
$11,087,569
$10,959,475
$10,903,312
$10,100,036
$8,642,858
$8,267,379
$4,634,062