Wonder Woman and Black Panther's Success Has Theaters Asking for More Diversity

[Super Kami Dende]

Wonder Woman was good. Black Panther was alright.

I'd much rather movies just be made well, rather than needing diversity to be the all encompassing Cinema-Grade.

[Alvito]

Or it could just be that they were good movies no matter what race/sex played in them?
Batman being shit had nothing to do with the main star being a white guy. It was just shit because the plot and the story were shit.

Both got a huge bump from being different and people either taking notice or being made aware of it. When I went to watch Black Panther the theater was filled with older black ladies many made a point to say several times they hadn't been to the theaters in decades. You don't normally see a sea of 60+ year old people at a Marvel movie.

[Super Kami Dende]

What people don't get is how awfully white and male and straight our media is. People don't see their privilege because it is normal to them

It's almost as if being Straight Male and White is the Normal thing in every Western Country. Who would've fucking thought right?

[Alvito]

I actually sort of have a problem with the idea that these films were successful only because of diversity. That's kind of sexist / racist.

Just make good films with the right actors regardless of their race or gender and I'll go see it. I didn't go watch black panther because it was an 99% black cast. I watched it because I like black panther. I didn't go watch Thor for the 99% white cast. I watched it because I like Thor. And I sure as shit didn't go watch wonder women because it was all female.

Stop shoehorning in the diversity argument. Make movies that are good and make sense.

There is an ebb and flow to this to some degree. A few movies or groups will take it too far and it will snap back some. It is safe to say we will have some very generic movies trying to pander to some group of people that they wouldn't have given two shits about last year though.

[Doctor Amadeus]

I have no seen it, I am not going to see it, but mostly that is because I am burned out on Super Hero Films, but from all the reviews and the bits, I have seen, it looks like it's a great film, and apparently people agree.

I will agree that diversity is great, but diversity alone wouldn't make for a great film.


Case and Point I love all kinds of films, more specifically because I like to watch a well told story, I never seen before, or need to.

[Elba]

It's almost as if being Straight Male and White is the Normal thing in every Western Country. Who would've fucking thought right?

The default thing would actually be being a woman. And soon ti is to be Latino in the US.

meh just a fad, this whole thing will pass once the democrats/liberals exhaust the whole race and gender war thing.

Nah man, large chunks of the audience are getting less and less willing to support an all white wonderland with their money.

[Deleted]

I don't see how this is diversity... Can't very well make a Wonder Woman movie with the lead being a man, or a Black Panther movie with the lead not being black.

Actually not sure.

In the late 90s we could receive a (Kazakh, Uzbek, whatever) TV channel, where exactly one guy did all the dubbing. He would voice the male roles, female roles, children too; it was hilarious. I'm confident he could play any role with minimal preparation too...

[netherflame]

Looks like a good thing. More diverse movies means a better likelihood of seeing something new and interesting. And more diverse scheduling means not haing to plan your summer around the latest Transformers, Fast Furious, or Ninja Turtle sequel.
Theatre Owners, say the success of films like Wonder Woman and Black Panther, which is current box office run is only rivaled by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Defies two major Hollywood beliefs. One, that big movies can only come out in the summer or the run-up to Christmas, and two, that there isn’t money in mainstream movie fare that appeals to a much broader audience than the typically expected.

More “Black Panthers” and “Wonder Womans,” please.

That’s the message that John Fithian, the top lobbyist for the exhibition industry, is hoping to convey to studios in the wake of the two superhero movies’ blockbuster success. Their massive box office hauls confirm something that Fithian, head of the National Association of Theatre Owners, has been pushing for years. Diversity is good for business.

“Theater owners have been asking for more diversity in movies for a long time, and by diversity we mean diversity in casting and diversity in times of the year when movies are released,” said Fithian, who notes that “Black Panther” is barreling toward the $1 billion mark at the box office, despite debuting in February.

“The traditional norm is that big movies only go in the summer and winter holiday,” Fithian said over a glass of wine at Coffee Shop, a diner and bar in Manhattan’s Union Square. “‘Black Panther’ proves if you’re good, people will come out and see you any time of the year. It also shows that a movie with an all-black cast and a black director can break records. It’s not the race or the sex of the actors in a movie, it’s the quality of the movie that matters.”

The diversity isn't what made those movies good, it was that the writing was good and they got the correct actors and actresses for them.

[Alvito]

What people don't get is how awfully white and male and straight our media is. People don't see their privilege because it is normal to them

Getting might close to trademark issues with my quote!! Seriously though it is kinda sad that people have to declare certain things about them. Sadly it is something that seems to annoy those counter to them. An example for me is people needing, wanting or thinking they have to say they are gay because that isn't the assumed default for people. I know as a straight male the times I have had to let anybody know that was the case has been limited and it was when I was at a PRIDE event or something like that where it was not the norm. Having to explain yourself to people all the time has to chip away at you after awhile.

[Super Kami Dende]

The default thing would actually be being a woman.

Being a Straight White Female is the Normal thing as well, since to have White males, you need White Female Mothers. Hurp durr.

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Getting might close to trademark issues with my quote!! Seriously though it is kinda sad that people have to declare certain things about them. Sadly it is something that seems to annoy those counter to them. An example for me is people needing, wanting or thinking they have to say they are gay because that isn't the assumed default for people. I know as a straight male the times I have had to let anybody know that was the case has been limited and it was when I was at a PRIDE event or something like that where it was not the norm. Having to explain yourself to people all the time has to chip away at you after awhile.

Jeez, sounds like you drank a ton of the Kool Aid. It's almost as if being Gay is statistically tiny. So please do tell me how we should go about knowing instantaneously that someone is gay without them telling you? If you just assume everyone is Gay then people would have to tell you they are straight.

Welcome to the world of simple Math and simple Concepts, where Normality is governed entirely on Statistics.

[oxymoronic]

Nah man, large chunks of the audience are getting less and less willing to support an all white wonderland with their money.

isnt america 70% white? u know them hispanics and latinos that consider themselves white? do you think they see anything of a resemblance with black panther? like yeah bro he almost my color, if i was left out in the sun for 10days...

and how can you say that, star wars one of the most whitest shit in the world makes bank. sorry but us people of color dont give one shit about star wars lol. put all the black dudes and women in it you want, we dont give a fuck about star wars.

[Alvito]

Being a Straight White Female is the Normal thing as well, since to have White males, you need White Female Mothers. Hurp durr.

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Jeez, sounds like you drank a ton of the Kool Aid. It's almost as if being Gay is statistically tiny. So please do tell me how we should go about knowing instantaneously that someone is gay without them telling you? If you just assume everyone is Gay then people would have to tell you they are straight.

Welcome to the world of simple Math and simple Concepts, where Normality is governed entirely on Statistics.

Ramble much? There is no reason to assume anything about anybody though, this is where most people end up in some sort of problem. People get far too caught up on titles, names and stereotypes and lose sight of other things. We don't have to label every damn thing we do, how we feel or anything else. This crazy need to do so is how we end up with people beating themselves up, getting angry or feeling left out because they aren't normal. Nobody is though, sure in some groups some might check a few more boxes of things in common with others, but no group is going to be some homogenized generic group of people with nothing different about them. But hey feel free to spin it into whatever fun narrative you want.

[Elba]

So please do tell me how we should go about knowing instantaneously that someone is gay without them telling you?

Maybe we shouldn't assume people are straight by default.

To go back to fiction, when you make a character white or male or straight you are making a deliberate choice. A character is not white or male or straight by default and them being anything else is a diversion.

Which is indeed hilarious in things, like I said before, Star Trek, where making nearly all humans white dudes is indeed completely unrealistic given the setting. But is still done due to the backwards thinking.

[Very Tired]

Do they realize good movies are good for other reasons besides their fancy diversity?

[melodramocracy]

Diversity also means a fantastic way to claim that critics are simply being racist / sexist if the movie is trash.

I can only conclude that anyone who felt that Wonder Woman / Black Panther was some breakthrough in cinematic diversity had never seen Aliens or Blade.

[Elba]

Diversity also means a fantastic way to claim that critics are simply being racist / sexist if the movie is trash.

I can only conclude that anyone who felt that Wonder Woman / Black Panther was some breakthrough in cinematic diversity had never seen Aliens or Blade.

Blade had a nearly all white cast and creative team, isn't really a superhero and is rated R. Also 20 years ago.

Black Panther being a huge ass super hero movie with a nearly entirely black cast and black creative team, made for the entire family is huuuge.

Especially the reaction of black children was fantastic. To deny the impact it has on the black community is ludicrous.

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Do they realize good movies are good for other reasons besides their fancy diversity?

Do y'all not realize that all those reasons and diversity are not mutually exclusive?

[Otrew]

naaa both movie were "less" importnt before the succes so they directors had more freedom to make a good work. Tahts the key, just make a good movie. Sure make diversityheroes is always great but the lack of executives pressure helps a lot.

[RyanEX]

free market where consumers decide what films they want and producers do it

Or

censoring panel authority deciding if films are allowed to air according to their compliance with the party's values


Which one is it, right wingers ?

Last I checked was it not lefties screaming and demanding censorship?

[anyaka21]

Looks like a good thing. More diverse movies means a better likelihood of seeing something new and interesting. And more diverse scheduling means not haing to plan your summer around the latest Transformers, Fast Furious, or Ninja Turtle sequel.
Theatre Owners, say the success of films like Wonder Woman and Black Panther, which is current box office run is only rivaled by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Defies two major Hollywood beliefs. One, that big movies can only come out in the summer or the run-up to Christmas, and two, that there isn’t money in mainstream movie fare that appeals to a much broader audience than the typically expected.

The whole good movies can only come out at certain times is a fallacy. Blockbuster weekends have driven movies and helps create buzz and viewership. But good and great movies have always come out whenever they come out regardless of the date of release.

If I remember right, "Silence of the Lambs" came out at a similar time way back in the day, and laid the gauntlet down for the rest of the years movies.

In terms of diversity, I think this shows that the majority of America doesn't care about racism, and in terms of movies, just want to be entertained regardless of who stars.

[Moshots]

Because having a Black guy in the Fantastic 4 really made that piece of trash a good movie.

Oh wait it tanked.


HMMMMM maybe WW and BP were just good movies? and not just attempts at lets throw a black dude in there