Female Fronted Film Successes 2014

by Helen Earnshaw | 26 December 2014

2014 has been a year when a whole host of actresses have spoken out about the inequality in Hollywood and demanding that there are more great roles and film projects for women going forward. However, despite there being some unrest in the movie world that female fronted film has thrived once again over the last twelve months.

Maleficent

We have seen a whole host of movies in this genre that have enjoyed commercial and box office success, and it makes you wonder why studios are not clamouring to make more and more films as they have grossed in the dollars worldwide.

As 2014 draws to a close, we take a look at some of the female led movies that have performed well this year. Which movie were you a big fan of in 2014?

- Maleficent

Maleficent hit the big screen at the beginning of the summer and there were a those who were worried at how this movie was going to perform at the box office… they need not have worried as Angelina Jolie made sure that it was a box office smash.

Maleficent saw Robert Stromberg make his feature film directorial debut as he and screenwriter Linda Woolverton put a new spin on the famous Sleeping Beauty/Maleficent story - the movie was based on Disney's Sleeping Beauty and La Belle au bois dormant by Charles Perrault.

Jolie was the only choice to take on the title role as she totally embodied this character and showed that there was more to her than just being Disney's most iconic villain. Jolie was joined on the cast list by Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Brenton Thwaites, and Imelda Staunton.

There may have been initial worries about how well the movie was going to perform, but Maleficent went on to gross in excess of $757 million at the global box office by the end of its theatrical run. Not only is Maleficent the highest grossing female-led movie of 2014, it is also the third highest grossing movie of the year behind Transformers: Age of Extinction and Guardians of the Galaxy.

- Lucy

Every summer there is a sleeper hit - a movie that performs so much better than expected - and this summer it was sci-fi film Lucy. I suppose it should come as no surprise with Scarlett Johansson in the title role, but the movie was not expected to be the box office sensation that it should have been.

With the success of Lucy under her belt, can someone please explain to me why Johansson is not being given the chance to be the first female Marvel character with her own film? S Black Widow solo movie has 'massive hit' written all over it. However, back to Lucy. The movie saw the actress team up with director and writer Luc Besson for the first time - he is a director who is no stranger to bring strong female characters to the big screen.

Lucy is an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic, and sees Morgan Freeman star alongside Johansson.

Lucy is a movie that was made for $40 million, but has gone on to gross over $458 million at the global box office and opened at the #1 spot in both the UK and USA. Lucy was one of the standout films of the summer as it was a lovely break from the big budget blockbuster. It is always great to see a female-led science fiction film perform well as we so often seem male characters in this central roles.

- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1

The Hunger Games is one of the most successful franchises of all time and has made a global star of the fantastic Jennifer Lawrence. That success continued this autumn as The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 hit the big screen.

This is a movie that I have been looking forward to since the credits on Catching Fire rolled and it is a great build-up movie to what I am expecting to be an epic conclusion next year.

Lawrence was back as heroine Katniss Everdeen, in a movie that follows her recover from events of her the Quarter Quell - where she brought The Hunger Games to and end for good. She must adapt to her new life underground in District 13 and the fact that she is the symbol of revolution and war against the Capitol.

Lawrence is on top for as Katniss in this third movie and we also see the addition to two great new strong female characters - of course, I am talking about Julianne Moore and Natalie Dormer as President Alma Coin and Cressida. I really can't wait to see these two characters developed further in the fourth and final film next year.

Mockingjay - Part 1 may not have been the most well received film of the franchise by the critics; it has still been a huge box office success. After just four weeks on global release, the movie has so far grossed over $610 million and is - so far - the tenth highest grossing movie of the year.

- The Fault In Our Stars

The Fault In Our Stars was another summer movie highlight as John Green's best selling novel of the same name was given a big screen makeover by director Josh Boone and writers Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber.

The Fault In Our Stars was the second feature film for Boone - he made his debut with Stuck In Love - but this adaptation was the biggest film of his career to date. And he really did capture the heart, soul, and humour of the book.

The touching story follows teenagers Hazel and Gus who are battling cancer but fall in love for the first time. Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort took on the central roles of Hazel and Gus: Woodley's central performance was a hug hit with the critics, while the movie helped to send Elgort's star rocketing.

The Fault In Our Stars was a hit with the critics and audiences and went on to top the U.S. and UK release upon release - much like Lucy, The Fault In Our Stars was a welcome break to the big budget and CGI laden movies that pack the big screen in the summer. The movie went on to make in excess of $304 million worldwide, which saw it easily make back its $14 million budget.

- Belle

Belle was one of the best female-led British movies and hit the big screen back in June. The movie saw Amma Asante back in the director's chair for her second feature film, while the movie really launched the career of actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw - she is one of the breakthrough stars of the year.

Mbatha-Raw took on the central role of Belle; the mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Admiral is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle in 18th century England. The movie is inspired by the 1779 painting of Dido Elizabeth Belle with her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray and is a movie that explored race and the place of women.

While Belle was the breakthrough role of Mbatha-Raw, the movie boasted the acting talents of Tom Wilkinson, Miranda Richardson, Penelope Wilton, Emily Watson and Matthew Goode - who all give terrific performances.

Belle was a major critical hit over the summer and went on to gross over $15 million at the global box office. The movie and Mbatha-Raw have gone on to pick up nominations at the British Independent Spirit Awards, London Film Critics' Circle and Satellite Awards.