2015 was another great year for female-driven movies, with some of Hollywood's biggest actresses breaking box office records with some terrific movies and performances. Fingers crossed that 2016 is going to deliver more of the same.
Sicario
But today is about looking back over the success of the last twelve months. Sicario has been released on DVD & Blu-ray this week and Emily Blunt was just one of the actresses that we saw in action last year.
It's impossible to ignore the fact that a huge majority of the past year's biggest hits have been female-driven - and to celebrate the release of Sicario, we're taking a look at some other brilliant, female-driven features which recently smashed the box office...
- Sicario
Sicario seems like a great place to start as the movie marked the return of Emily Blunt to a major lead role. The film saw her star alongside Josh Brolin and Benicio del Toro and she teamed up with filmmaker Denis Villeneuve for the first time.
Sicario saw Blunt take on the role of FBI agent Kate Macer, who is enlisted by a government task force to bring down the leader of a brutal and powerful Mexican drug cartel.
For me, this is one of the best performances of Blunt's career to date as strikes a perfect balance between Kate's strength as well as her vulnerability. She is plunged into a world that she doesn't understand and is forced to make moral choices that compromise everything that she believes in.
Sicario is a tense thriller that leaves audiences to consider the moral questions that the film explores. Blunt, Brolin and del Toro all deliver terrific performances but it is Blunt who really has never been better.
The movie was a huge critical hit when it was released last year and went on to gross over $80 million at the box office; easily making back its $20 million budget. It has gone on to pick up three Oscar nominations: for Best Cinematography, Best Original Score, and Best Sound Editing.
- Mad Max: Fury Road
One of the most talked about movies of 2015 came in the form of Mad Max: Fury Road, which saw director George Miller return to the apocalyptic franchise.
It may have been Tom Hardy who took on the central role of Max Rockatansky, but it was Charlize Theron who stole the show as Imperator Furiosa; giving the best performance that we have seen from the Oscar-winning actress for some time.
The movie follows Furiosa as she rebels against a tyrannical ruler and tries to protect a group of young women - who are 'breeders' - from the life that has been chosen for them.
Mad Max: Fury Road is a high-octane movie from start to finish that never allows the audience to stop to catch its breath.
Theron and Hardy make a terrific action pair as they fight to protect these women whilst both running from a dark and violent past that continues to haunt them. For me, Furiosa was one of the best female film characters of 2015.
Mad Max: Fury Road was met with critical acclaim when it was released back in May and went on to over $375 million at the global box office. The film has also picked up a stunning ten Oscar nominations: including Best Picture and Best Director for Miller.
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
The Hunger Games franchise has turned Jennifer Lawrence into a global superstar and it is one of the most successful female-led film series of all time. Sadly, The Hunger Games was brought to a close last year as Mockingjay - Part 2 hit the big screen.
Mockingjay - Part 2 was released a year after the events of the first instalment and brought the battle to an epic conclusion as Katniss Everdeen leads the rebellion against the Capitol and President Snow. This is the last time that we will see the Oscar-winner take on this iconic role.
From the opening moment of the first film to the final scene in Mockingjay - Part 2, Lawrence has been the driving force in this franchise and has been a major reason why it has been as successful as it is. It is another powerful performance from the actress and this is a role for which she will always be remembered.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 went on to gross $652 million by the end of its theatrical run. The franchise as a whole has taken $2.9 billion at the global box office over the year, making it one of the most successful of all time.
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens
There was no 2015 movie that was more anticipated than Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as J.J. Abrams took over the director's chair of his beloved franchise for the first time. We hadn't had a Star Wars film hit the big screen in ten years and The Force Awakens marks a new chapter in the franchise.
The Force Awakens is the seventh film in the series and introduced us to Rey, played by Daisy Ridley. While we have had strong female characters in the franchise before, a Star Wars movie has never been led by a woman.
The movie is set thirty years after the events of Return of the Jedi and sees a new threat rising up to take over the galaxy. New characters and familiar faces team up to try and keep this evil at bay. Ridley was joined on the cast list by John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, and Andy Serkis. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher were back as Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, and Leia.
The Force Awakens was one of the movies that really did not disappoint in 2015 as Abrams paid homage to the movies that had gone before while injecting the franchise with fresh and exciting life. It is a star-making performance from Ridley and Rey is one of the most intriguing of the new characters.
To say that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been a success is an understatement as it is closing in on the $2 billion mark at the box office; it would be only the third film to reach that feat after Avatar and Titanic.
This year, we are going to see spin-off Rogue One: A Star Wars story hit the big screen with Felicity Jones in the lead role. Star Wars Episode VIII is also in the pipeline for 2017 with Rian Johnson in the director's chair.
- Cinderella
Disney was another studio that enjoyed huge success last year and Cinderella is just one of the movies that performed incredibly well. It was the latest Disney animation to get a live-action adaptation; following in the footsteps of Maleficent and coming before The Jungle Book.
The film saw Kenneth Branagh back in the director's chair as he cast Downton Abbey star Lily James in the title role for what was the biggest film of her career to date.
James delivers a delightful performance as Cinderella, a role that really did send her star rocketing last year. There is something incredibly charming about her from the moment that you meet her and she confidently carries this big movie on her rather inexperienced shoulders.
Branagh has told this story that we all know so well in a simple way and yet, he has managed to capture the magic that makes the animation film so special. The director does put his own stamp on the story and on the characters but without ever going too far or trying to make it feel too real.
Cinderella was one of the early box office successes of 2015 as it grossed over $542 million worldwide and was a big critical success.
- Trainwreck
In recent years, we have seen more and more comedy movies with female leads as the likes of Bridesmaids and The Heat have been big hits. 2015 continued that trend as Trainwreck hit the big screen over the summer.
Amy Schumer was another of the breakthrough female stars of 2015 as she returned to the big screen with Trainwreck. As well as taking on the central role, Schumer penned the screenplay while Judd Apatow was back in the director's chair.
The film follows Amy, a magazine writer, and commitment-phobe, who finally meets her match in charming doctor, Aaron, played by Bill Hader. Schumer and Hader were joined on the cast list by Brie Larson, Tilda Swinton, Colin Quinn, John Cena, and Ezra Miller.
Trainwreck was one of the most critically acclaimed comedy movies of 2015 and took over $140 million at the box office. The film really cemented Schumer as an acting and writing talent and we have seen her star rocket.
The movie went on to be nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy & Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes.
- Pitch Perfect 2
Pitch Perfect was one of the surprise sleeper hits of 2012... but the sequel was a movie that many people were looking forward to last year. The film saw Elizabeth Banks take over the director's chair as she made her feature film debut. The movie also saw Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson reprise the central roles of Beca and Fat Amy.
In Pitch Perfect 2, the Bellas are back, fresh from their victory at the national competition- but after being humiliated in front of the President of the United States, the Bellas are expelled from the Aca-Circuit. Determined to clear their name and regain their status, the Bellas take on a seemingly impossible task: winning an International competition no American team has ever won.
Pitch Perfect 2 is another note-perfect comedy film and a great directorial debut from Banks; I really cannot wait to see what she does as a filmmaker going forward.
Like the first, Pitch Perfect 2 is packed full of great musical numbers and performances, humour, and some great characters. It is a movie that really is a lot of fun.
Pitch Perfect 2 was an even bigger box office success than its predecessor as it grossed over $287 million worldwide and was made on a budget of just $29 million.
Other female-led movies of 2015 that enjoyed huge success include Spy, Fifty Shades of Grey, Jurassic World, Carol, Suffragette, The Diary of a Teenage Girl, and Inside Out.
Tagged in Star Wars Cinderella The Hunger Games Pitch Perfect