Sep 26 2008
“Women” to Women: Sarah Jessica Trumps Meg
The Women- starring, among others, Jada Pinkett Smith, Annette Benning, Meg Ryan and Debra Messing- hasn’t collected much in the way of box office and critical gold. (picture courtesy of PictureHouse)
Contrary to what the television and print ads want you to believe, The Women is no Sex and the City.
Sure, both movies center on a group of close-knit female pals and their various adventures. But that’s where the similarities end.
Sarah Jessica Parker and the girls’ small-screen-to big-screen transition broke box office records back in May, on its way to a $152.6 million final gross in the USA and Canada. Surely those involved with The Women- an update of the 1939 all-female film- thought audiences would lap up another slice of estrogen-fueled storytelling. Not so much the case, unfortunately.
Through Thursday (its 13th day in release), the Meg Ryan-led vehicle had grossed just $21.43 million, less than half of what Sex and the City grossed in its first three days. Having been on the back burner for some time, The Women finally got a firm release date following Sex and the City’s success earlier this year.
So, what went wrong for Meg and her pals? For one, fans of the original film (despite some regarding it as a classic) probably weren’t clamoring for the remake’s release- sure can’t say the same for Sex and the City and its rabid fanbase.
Sex and the City (which was released on DVD and Blu-Ray this week) came with a lot of hype and anticipation- the award-winning HBO series enjoyed a successful six season run and has spawned a number of imitators in its wake. Fans couldn’t wait to line up at the multiplex- martinis in tow- for another chance to spend time with Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte- as evidenced by the film’s 21.5 million-plus tickets sold.
Reviews for The Women were rather horrible- with 32 reviews at www.metacritic.com, the film’s current critical score stands at 27 out of 100. Sex and the City wasn’t exactly a critical smash, but with 38 reviews at the same site, its 53 average nearly doubles that of The Women.
The ladies of Sex and the City- Kristin Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kim Cattrall- take a stroll down the streets of Manhattan, likely anticipating the film’s smashing box office success. (picture courtesy of New Line Cinema)
Some movies are critic-proof, as evidenced by Sex and the City, but a well-made film rewarded with good reviews could have benefited a project like The Women.
Besides trying to overcome a slew of bad reviews, The Women opened in September, a month that historically doesn’t see huge box office numbers. But would the movie had fared all that much better had it opened in July? Probably not. On the bright side (if there is one), The Women reportedly only cost $16 million to produce, so no danger of it going down as one of the biggest disasters in cinema history.
When trying to capitalize on a hot commodity- especially something like Sex and the City- moviemakers need to realize things could go one of two ways. Either audiences are so hungry for similar fare that they’ll latch onto anything that bears even the slightest resemblance; or, they see something like The Women as an obvious wannabe and coattail rider, and save their cash for the Sex and the City DVD. Moviegoers apparently are opting for the latter.
More female-driven flicks will come, even in the wake of The Women’s disappointing performance. However, what will be the next one to challenge Sex and the City’s box office haul? Why, Sex and the City 2, of course. A sequel was in talks even before Samantha and the girls enjoyed their first big screen cocktail.
