EJ Moreno looks at eight of the best women-led blockbusters…
We are entering almost unknown territory with the success of Barbie. As the film inches to half a billion in just one week of release, we see a female-led (and female-directed) blockbuster hit heights we never thought possible. With only Captain Marvel in the billion-dollar club, there is room for the pink-loving doll to join her.
But besides those two money-making hits, what other blockbusters with a woman lead have been acclaimed and well-received?
While the online trolls would like you to think the number is much smaller, quite a few films with over a $100 million budget have made their money back and won over the hearts of viewers.
We’ll look at eight of the most impactful female-led blockbusters, including Barbie & Captain Marvel, and discuss why each matter to film and the importance of more women characters having leading roles in the year’s most significant projects.
Charlie’s Angels
The earliest movie on our list also serves as a bit of an honorable mention simply because the budget is just shy of the $100 million landmark needed for this list. But Charlie’s Angels, the McG-directed film from 2000, is just too much fun to ignore. This has everything you’d expect and want!
We have three of the most prominent actresses at the time giving hilarious performances and kicking ass while looking fierce. As much as the wave of female-led movies feels like a modern effort, Charlie’s Angels did it decades ago and was a massive deal when it did it.
If you want to take a trip down memory lane, join Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz, and Drew Barrymore in this hilarious & action-packed comedic blockbuster.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Any Hunger Games movie could’ve been in this spot as they all focus on our hero Katniss and have colossal money machines behind them. But Catching Fire is the strongest franchise entry and stands the test of time the best out of all the YA-focused movies.
Jennifer Lawerence is one of the few millennial-era movie stars; when we get her involved, you can expect loyal fans and a solid financial return. It’s safe to say her time as a blockbuster actress helped that, even leading her to be open to a return.
While The Hunger Games: Catching Fire didn’t invent the female-led blockbuster, it proved that modern audiences were hungry for it.
Frozen
2013 also saw the release of Frozen, the big-budgeted animated Disney film that became a cultural touchstone upon release. As the only animated movie on the list, Frozen is truly special, and it’s lovely to see how much this impacted everyone, especially the women and kids.
The inescapable modern classic was all over 2013 and 2014, and it was a welcomed surprise to see the two Arendelle sisters embraced by everyone—Disney’s return to princesses paid off quite well, seemingly feeding an underserved demographic.
The 2019 sequel was just as big, earning over a billion, proving that in live-action or cartoon, people want to see female heroes on screen.
Mad Max: Fury Road
With the title “Mad Max,” you’d expect the film to focus solely on the titular hero’s misadventures, but Fury Road smartly chose to add a female lead to the mix. George Miller reinvented his wheel and made it more fabulous than ever before.
Charlize Theron’s Furiosa quickly became a fan-favorite and earned her place as a genuine action star, but it was also nice to never see her outshine her male counterpart. It was a team effort, making the film feel much more memorable.
Furiosa even earned herself a spin-off film, which we’d love to include in a future revision of this list. Let’s hope Miller can do it again.
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Many modern Star Wars films under the Disney umbrella have focused on a female lead. The Rey Skywalker saga was a huge talking point, but the hidden gem was Rogue One, which put our female hero front and center to significant effect.
That’s not to take away from Andor, who earned his own spin-off, but it’s hard to deny that Jyn Erso was the heart and soul of the film. Felicity Jones gives an underrated and understated performance as Jyn, adding many needed layers to this universe.
In a film surrounded by strong male characters, Jones’ Jyn found a way to make it her own space and give Rogue One something to look back on.
Wonder Woman
We all knew the moment Wonder Woman hit the big screen that it would be a big deal. Much like Barbie, this is a character that the mainstream already knows and loves. That admiration paid off and was met with love in the form of one of the DC movies ever.
In a tumultuous time for the DCEU, the Patty Jenkins-directed film held down the fort and gave every fan hope for the brand. The action was badass, the filmmaking was stunning, and it told a feminist story without offending many…a nearly impossible task.
This was a near-perfect ride, and we’d see everyone try to duplicate this magic; even Jenkins & Gadot couldn’t capture it again.
Captain Marvel
It’s pretty wild to think it took over a decade to get a female-led Marvel movie, especially considering fan-favorite Black Widow was right there. But by the time Captain Marvel came around, it was the right moment, and it paid off well with a billion-dollar entry.
Following Wonder Woman, audiences were happy to embrace a female hero, even if Brie Larson was a lightning rod for the worst kind of attention. Larson waded through that mess and came out on top, and even landed herself an upcoming sequel.
Sadly, they couldn’t replicate this magnetic reaction with female leads again, though Black Panther 2 got pretty close.
Barbie
The name on everyone’s lips right now is Barbie. The film is looking to become a billion-dollar entry, rare for a non-comic book movie and even rarer for a female-led blockbuster. And what’s best about this film? It doesn’t hide its femininity with action.
Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie came together as director & star ideally, creating a perfect storm that would eventually suck us all in. You can’t escape anything Barbie-related these days, and for good reason, it’s one of the year’s best movies.
Out of all the films listed, this feels the happiest being a “chick flick,” but it still possesses that type of appeal that brings in everyone.
What are your favorite female-led blockbusters? Did I overlook a huge movie led by women? Share your thoughts and picks by reaching out to Flickering Myth’s social channels @FlickeringMyth…
EJ Moreno
Originally published August 1, 2023. Updated November 21, 2023.
