The Golden Globes have a reputation for ignoring films directed by female directors, only 7% of the films nominated in 2016 were directed by women.
By JACOB GOFF KLEINUpdated: DECEMBER 14, 2017 17:46Director Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot arrive at the "Wonder Woman" Los Angeles Premiere held at The Pantages Theatre on Thursday, May 25, 2017 in Hollywood, Calif.(photo credit: STHANLEE B. MIRADOR/SIPA USA/TNS)
There have been rumors circulating that Israeli actress Gal Gadot's fifteen minutes of fame have ended because of the financial failure of Justice League and the absence of Wonder Woman nominations at the Golden Globes.However, these rumors are without merit, and there are certain factors that need to be considered before any conclusions are made about Gal Gadot's star power.First of all, Justice League was a not because it didn't succeed at the box office, but because it had a runaway budget of over 300 million dollars. In order for a film to be considered a financial success, it must earn back three times its budget in the global box office revenue.However, when comparing box office returns, Wonder Woman's opening weekend earned $103 million which is very similar to the Justice League opening weekend of 95 million.It is important to consider the difference between profit and revenue, because Wonder Woman had a production budget 150 million dollars, so it was a much smaller risk. The $800 million global earnings the film earned was considered a huge success for the medium-sized budget, but an $800 million global box office would still be considered a failure for a film like Justice League, because the cost of the film was so immense.Additionally, the original director of Justice League, Zack Snyder, left the project after a family tragedy, to be replaced by Joss Whedon, who had a much different vision for the film. Whedon added some very expensive reshoots to the production budget which he believed were necessary.Secondly, regarding the snub at Golden Globes, it is normal for comic book films to be ignored by the judges at the award ceremony. It is very rare for a comic book movie to gain a nomination, and The Dark Knight is the only comic book film to have won, in recent memory, a Golden Globe. The award went to Heath Ledger, for his ground-breaking performance as the Joker.Also, according to the Guardian, the judges at the Golden Globes have a reputation for ignoring films directed by female directors. Only 7% of the films nominated in 2016 were directed by women. Director of Wonder Woman Petty Jenkins seems to be a victim of systemic sexism and an industry that routinely ignores accomplishments among women.Jenkins directed the Academy award winning film Monster but has never been nominated for a Golden Globe.This snub has not gone unnoticed by the Gadot fan base. Gadot's star power inspired her loyal fans to launch an online petition for her and Jenkins to be recognized at the Global Globes. This petition is unique among comic book films and is a great example of Gadot's popularity.Third, lets consider the critical response the DC Extended Universe.Justice League and Wonder Woman belong to a franchise called the DC Extended Universe which includes films Man of Steel, Suicide Squad and Batman v Superman. The only film in the DCEU that was considered a critical success is Wonder Woman and poor critical response can hurt the box office return of sequels. Justice league is a sequel to the poorly-received Batman v Superman and not a sequel to the much more superior Wonder Woman.The critical failure of Batman v Superman hindered the excitement for future Batman Superman team ups and hurt Justice League's chances at the box office return it needed for success.Of all the films in the franchise, only Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman received an official sequel and is one hundred percent returning as the titled star. Her star power asWonder Woman has seemed to survive the poor critical response of every other film in this franchise.Man of Steel's Henry Cavill had his sequel placed on permanent hiatus and Suicide Squad 2 is having a star change up with the addition of Dwayne Johnson.Gadot's star power is doing just fine and that is why the Warner Brothers execs have her cast in every future DCEU project except Aquaman in hopes to elevate the critical short comings of this superhero team-up franchise.And Gadot's popularity has transcended well beyond the silver screen. Time magazine named Wonder Woman the number 1 fictional character of 2017 and Gal Gadot is the number 1 star on the IMDB stars of 2017.Also, Wonder Woman was considered a huge financial success as the second highest grossing film in the domestic box office of 2017.Let's face it, the failure of Justice League is the result of bad writing, bad characters and a runaway production budget. All of Gadot's star power cannot undo the poor decisions Hollywood producers.
