Female Leads RULE the Box Office

[The_Liquid_Laser]

I have a slightly different hypothesis, which I call the Disney hypothesis.  This hypothesis states that Disney is kicking ass at the box office and all of the other studios are breathing their exhaust.  Let's see how many of the movies in OP are Disney.

 

SuaveSocialist said:

2017 comes to a close, and for the first time in Hollywood history, the top three performers in the Domestic Box Office were movies with a female character as the main star.

1: Beauty and the Beast: 504M (Disney)
2: Wonder Woman: 412.5M
3: Star Wars: The Last Jedi 397.27M (and rising) (AND Disney)

Source:  http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2017

However, it doesn't end there.  This was merely the crowning achievement of a growing trend.  Four of the last five of the biggest annual Domestic Box Office haul were movies about a female lead.

2017: Beauty and the Beast: 504M (Disney)
2016: Star Wars: Rogue One: 532.17M (Disney)
2015: Star Wars: The Force Awakens 936.62M (Disney)
2014: American Sniper 350.13M
2013: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire 424.67M

Wordwide, three of the last five annual winners were about a female lead.

2017: Beauty and the Beast 1.26B (Disney)
2016: Captain America: Civil War 1.15B (Disney)
2015: Star Wars: The Force Awakens 2.07B (Disney)
2014: Transformers: Age of Extinction 1.10B (WTF Vomit studios)
2013: Frozen 1.28B (Disney)

Audiences have spoken.  

Disney has spoken. 

This might look like people really want movies with female leads, but the truth is that people want quality big budget movies.  They can have either male or female leads and be successful.  Disney has always been known for sticking female leads into their movies even going back to Snow White (their first full length film), so now that Disney is ruling the box office, it also means that female leads will often be ruling the box office.