Things are looking up for the DC Extended Universe, which hasn’t been doing so well for the last couple of years. First came “Man of Steel,” which certainly wasn’t strong enough to support a gargantuan, interconnected universe of cinema, but Warner Bros. did that anyway, so then came “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” which was supposed to kick everything off and was universally maligned, as was “Suicide Squad,” which came a little later.
Now, we’ve got “Wonder Woman,” which has become a surprise hit, turning things around for female superheroes, for female directors, for the DC Extended Universe, everything.
It’s about time “Wonder Woman” came along. It’s long overdue. She’s an icon in comic books and in pop culture, but unfortunately, she’s a woman, and the media doesn’t really go for that. Before we had a Wonder Woman, we had three Hulks, three Spider-Mans, three Supermans, six Batmans. It was ludicrous. But Gal Gadot’s solo outing is worth the wait.
The movie’s opening has been huge
“Wonder Woman” has enjoyed a huge $86 million opening, and it’s only Saturday.
In recent weeks, many movies have fallen prey to summer blockbuster fatigue. “Baywatch” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” have fallen flat and made hardly any money, and there were fears that Princess Diana of Themyscira would find the same fate. But, as it turns out, that’s not the case, and it’s making huge strides for women in the media.
The University of Southern California carried out a study, taking the top 1,000 films from the 2007-2016 period and counting what percentage of them were directed by women. They found that only 4% were. And now, “Wonder Woman” has come in and shattered all that. “Man of Steel,” “BvS,” and “Suicide Squad” were all directed by men and they were tanking the franchise.
Now, in comes Patty Jenkins with her excellent take on “Wonder Woman” and breaks the record for highest-grossing opening in the United States for a Film directed by woman, narrowly breaking the record set by Sam Taylor-Johnson ($85.1 million) with “Fifty Shades of Grey,” a film that’s, shall we say, a little less about female empowerment than “Wonder Woman.”
‘Wonder Woman’ is in cinemas now
“Wonder Woman” is out now, and it’s fantastic. Its star, Gal Gadot, is a true-to-life badass, having served in the Israeli military, and she gives a fierce and terrific performance in the lead role as a naive young Amazon who joins the outside world at the time of one of its worst ever crises and prevails as a hero. It’s a funny, emotional, action-packed journey. Check it out.