If You Care About Hollywood Sexism, Go See Ghostbusters on Opening Weekend
âSince Paul Feigâs all-female reboot of the 1984 classic was announced, a small yet vocal group of angry misogynists have derailed the filmâs rollout, spamming social media and launching a coordinated effort to make its trailer the most disliked in YouTube history. These crackpots are not representative of the larger viewing public, but they do represent a more extreme version of the ingrained sexism in Hollywood. As we know from experience, if Ghostbusters flops, one narrative will engulf all others, like a tidal wave of ectoplasmic slime smothering all rational voices: Women movies bad! Women no funny! Women box-office kryptonite! Ainât no bitches gonna hunt no ghosts!
Ghostbusters faces an uphill battle to be considered a success. The film cost $144 million, pricey for a comedy, so the studio will be hoping for a $50 million opening weekend (with low-end predictions around $39 million to $41 million). Opening weekend shapes the story about a filmâs fate, which can be a self-fulfilling prophecy when it comes to drawing more viewers in down the road. While some films gain âlegsâ over time, usually by favorable word of mouth, Ghostbusters will be expected to start strong, given the fact that itâs part of a much-hyped franchise with major brand recognition. If the numbers are middling come Monday, it may be too late.
This wouldnât matter much if the only thing at stake was Ghostbusterssequels. But female-led blockbusters in Hollywood are still such a rarity, and the view that audiences wonât watch movies helmed by women so pervasive, that every female-led film is seen as a litmus test for every future one. (Particularly a major action-comedy tentpole like this one.) IfGhostbusters flops, nobody will point to the weak script or an excessive budget. Theyâll look to the one factor that deviates from the Hollywood norm: the gender of the stars fronting it.â
IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO SEE THE MOVIE AND ABLE TO DO IT THIS WEEKEND, MAKE YOUR TICKET COUNT! ADD IT TO THE OPENING WEEKEND TALLY.
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