In May of 2008 two movies were released that were based on previously existing characters and stories, and both made crazy money at the box office. This May both films have sequels coming out as well, and while one is widely expected to be the biggest hit of the summer, the other is the subject of a fairly patronizing article in The Hollywood Reporter explaining why it's going to be a hit after all. What's the difference between these two movies? One is the male-centric comic book sequel Iron Man 2 and the other is Sex and the City 2.
The THR article does point out the interesting fact that tickets to Sex and the City 2 are selling "briskly" six weeks before opening. Harry Medved of Fandango said SATC 2 made up 20% of their daily sales when they first went up, outpacing even Kick-Ass, which I guess shouldn't be all that surprising given Kick-Ass's weekend performance. The prediction is that women will attend the film in massive "girl's night out" groups again, meaning that it won't just be guys in Iron Man Mark I suits with the power to make an opening weekend number.
I don't mind that THR is reporting on remarkably high advance ticket sales for the film, but I wish it weren't couched in the same old tired "Women go to the movies!" language. Every summer when there's a female-driven film that's a hit, from Julie & Julia to The Devil Wears Prada to the original Sex and the City, the same shocked stories show up in the trades, because apparently after every summer we forget about women all over again. Let me clear this up for you: Sex and the City 2 is going to be a massive hit, just like the first one was. Now the element of surprise is gone!
