During the press tour for superhero action flick "Deadpool," Ryan Reynolds was asked what about the movie appeals to women.
His answer was an awesome breakdown about the myths about who superhero and action movies are "for." Lots of times, we frame these movies as being aimed at dudes in all their dudeliness. Reynolds wanted to set that record straight.
GIFs via moviemaniacsDE/YouTube.
Why was this surprising? Because the "girls don't like superheroes" myth even affects studios.
It's kind of funny thinking about the stereotypical ways they might go about marketing the movie to women. I mean, they could have maybe played up that romantic angle (as Reynolds mentions below). Maybe give the ladies some of that 2010 "Sexiest Man Alive" eye candy? Yeah?
That's what studios want to do.
And to mock the sexist way movies are marketed, that's what the people behind "Deadpool" did. They even made billboards that framed the movie as a rom-com. A very, very violent, R-rated rom-com.
But here's the truth: Some women just like superhero or action movies. No marketing tricks needed.
And he's totally right. In its opening weekend, the film grossed $132 million in the U.S. alone. You don't get those kinds of numbers if you're not beloved by people of all genders.
But wait — so why did women like the movie? Well, for the same reasons men did: because it's a good movie.
Does this mean all women love superhero movies? No. But neither do all men. It's almost as though people are individuals and have their own unique tastes and whatnot!
Don't take Reynolds' word for it: Let the numbers do the talking.
Since 2010, women have made up a larger share of moviegoers (people who went to a movie at least once in theyear) than men. And in 2014 (the year of the most recent study), their share got even bigger. That's straight from the Motion Picture Association of America's annual Theatrical Market Statistics report. And yes, those numbers hold up for action movies, too.
So maybe female moviegoers don't need to be pandered to with clever, stereotypical marketing campaigns; maybe they just need a good movie (oh, but let's work on that lack of diversity — in front of and behind the camera — thing, OK?).