Wonder Woman has smashed records and currently has earned a domestic total of $129 million and a global gross that’s about that same amount. It’s funny to think that this project was considered a risk by many in Hollywood. In reality, Wonder Woman had all the elements to be a success in the most superhero way.
It might just not have seemed that way after the DC Comics and Warner Bros. misfire of Suicide Squad, general malaise towards Batman v Superman and the mixed reaction to Man of Steel. For many, it appeared that Wonder Woman needed to save the DC Comics cinematic world. Whether it had to, or did do that, is not the center of this debate. Our issue is that Wonder Woman had success written all over it long before it premiered.
Here are 7 reasons why the success of Wonder Woman should shock not a soul.
75 Years’ Worth of Wait
With an iconic ’70s TV show and seven-and-a-half decades of existence prior in the comics world, could any property deliver this kind of devotion to fill seats? Hardly! Name one other franchise in the pop culture world missing a big screen effort with this level of popularity that could bring that many years to the table?
Think about the decades of little girls who dressed up as Wonder Woman on Halloween (and year-round for no good reason at all other than to BE Wonder Woman for that matter). Like a beloved book that finally makes its way to the silver screen with critical praise — the audience responds by going to the theaters (i.e. Gone Girl) — Wonder Woman had that kind of devotion times infinity.
Gal Gadot
The moment she stepped onto the screen in Batman v Superman, the idea of a Wonder Woman solo movie became necessary. They could not have cast a better actress to take on the iconic heroine. Her command of the character was firmly established in her stealing scenes from Ben Affleck’s Batman and Henry Cavill’s Superman.
When those first Wonder Woman trailers appeared — and yes, they were merely a tease — viewers got the sense that there was something historic happening here. It was one of those rare moments where actor meets role and lightning crashes.
Patty Jenkins
Have you seen Monster? The director delivered Charlize Theron an Oscar, and if anyone can understand the nuances of female lead characters that are complicated (to put it mildly), it is Jenkins. Sure, she hadn’t handled the budget of a movie such as Wonder Woman. But, in the end, it is always about story, actors and actresses, and connecting an audience emotionally to what’s happening on the screen.
Everything she has done prior has indicated that Jenkins possesses that gift in spades. Jenkins + Wonder Woman = blockbuster. That should have been the formula long before the film opened.
Good Family Friendly Movies Are an Event
When the reviews started pouring in and they were near or at 100-percent in favor of getting out to see Wonder Woman, families started buying tickets. This was not simply a comic book junkie movie, such as Batman v Superman, where its dark nature and action-centric and character-lacking depth kept large families away.
This is Wonder Woman and through those positive reviews, something was gleaned. Kids of a certain age (younger than teens, even) could enjoy this movie and be inspired by it. Cue the families buying not just two tickets for a mom and dad date night, but up to six or more tickets that made it the rare family movie event. Those kinds of ticket sales are going to add up to some serious cash and that is exactly what happened.
Lightning Word of Mouth in Age of Twitter
In this age of social media, if something catches fire, it becomes scorching. Word of mouth is always the greatest gift to the success of a movie. But, when everyone, and I mean everyone, on Twitter and other social media platforms is singing universal praise about a film, those ticket sales for that first weekend and days after will explode exponentially. That’s why the final numbers were so much higher than initial projections.
Marketing. Marketing. Marketing.
Take Gadot, Jenkins and the character itself out of the Wonder Woman equation and you look at WB’s marketing of this film. It never gave away too much in its trailers and TV teasers, but it did achieve something that is extremely rare these days in movie promotion… it left you wanting more. That’s when marketing of movies is at its best. That’s what gets people to pull out their wallets and plunk down their increasingly hard to get cash and sit in the dark for two hours for something that they know will be worth the lightening of their pocketbook.
We Need This
These are dark times. Terrorism seems to be a daily occurrence somewhere in the world. Gun violence rages across America, and our government and opinions on how it’s being run have never been more divisive. As Americans, and global citizens, we crave things that bring us together. That is why the Olympics continue to be so popular. How often can the world sit down and witness something collectively and then make it the topic of conversation for a period of time that gives all involved a warm feeling inside and a smile to boot?
It’s rare.
Wonder Woman does that, and it is the rare cinematic experience that delivers to all those who sit in its presence. Globally, what was so awesome about Gadot and Jenkins’ film is that it will become a unifying launching pad for joy in otherwise joyless times.