‘Halloween’ Breaks Box Office Records for Women
The horror film sequel to the 1978 film boasted $72.6 million its first weekend. This is the biggest opening of a horror movie with a female lead, and the biggest opening of any move with a female lead over 55. Older women are a group frequently symbolically annihilated in media. Despite the wide range of women in the world, women in film and TV are typically under 40.
The ‘Halloween’ star Jamie Lee Curtis has been celebrating this success on Twitter and in interviews, saying she is waving the banner for generations of women without recognition. Curtis likens the plot of the film to women taking back their power in the real world right now, and says reviews have been positive and moving. Although one movie is not enough to break a pattern, the success of a film with an older female lead is a major stride in female representation outside of the ideal, objectified young woman.
It is great to see a movie with an older woman in the lead role achieve such success especially since as you said older women are symbolically annihilated in the media. It just shows that it is time for Hollywood to represent all types of groups that are symbolically annihilated because the movies are just as successful and it is time for their to be multi-dimensional representations of all groups in media.
ReplyDeleteI too agree that it is great to see older women being represented in the media because they are often disregarded in society for no longer having a “sex appeal”. This also remind me of the show grace and Frankie that also challenges stereotypes surrounding older women.
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