9 painfully real tweets about the success of “Hidden Figures”

By Shaunnamurphy

January 17, 2017

By Shaunnamurphy

January 17, 2017

In case you’ve been living under a rock (or, you know, just haven’t gone to the movies) over the past few weeks, know that Hidden Figures is dominating the box office, earning $60 million in just 10 days of wide release, and topping the weekend charts two weeks in a row.

This, per Forbes, is a firm reminder that “multiplex-friendly films starring women and about women can make money if you make them and publicize them accordingly,” and that “films about women are not and never were box office poison.”

However, the “can women lead a movie to box office glory?” conversation tends to happen each and every time a female-led studio flick is released — and especially if it fails — since we’re still significantly in the minority when it comes to representation onscreen. (This is especially true for women of color, which is why it’s so exciting that three Black women — Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monáe — lead Hidden Figures.)

This conversation never happens when movies about white men fail spectacularly, though, as Ben Affleck’s Live By Night and Martin Scorsese’s Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver-led Silence both did over the weekend.

So Twitter has stepped in and started this conversation for Hollywood, Hollywood film critics, and so on and so forth … and it’s a pretty hilarious (but painful) reminder of how crappy the industry can be.

1 True

when movies with women fail Hollywood says "no more movies about women" but it never seems to go the other way when they succeed

— Molly Lambert 🦔 (@mollylambert) January 16, 2017

2 SIGH

in a just world this would lead to a million more biopics about WOC with great actresses but I'm not that optimistic right now

— Molly Lambert 🦔 (@mollylambert) January 16, 2017

3 Let’s not hold our breaths

If studios were rational instead of run by old white men, success of Hidden Figures should result in a flurry of historical films about WOC https://t.co/zk8GGruuvr

— Apocalyptica (@ApocalypticaNow) January 17, 2017

4 Literally, there’s only been one

"Wah! HIDDEN FIGURES is doing too well! When will they make a movie about something OTHER than black female scientists?"-Baby-men right now

— Nathan Rabin (@nathanrabin) January 16, 2017

5 Agree with this sentiment

Looks like films starring white male leads just can't pull in the audience. Hollywood should really rethink; for business sake! https://t.co/8HfI4YXEKO

— Buttigieg Buttijury Butticutioner (@ValarMorDollars) January 14, 2017

6 Answer for yourself, Affleck

Complaining that minority leads don't bring in money but giving white/male lead flops a free pass #TiredMediaTropes

— David Lo Pun-ch Nazis (@helpmeskeletor) January 4, 2017

7 Silver lining

So far, 2017 has had exactly zero number-one movies with white male leads (and both these movies kick ass)#HiddenFigures #RogueOne pic.twitter.com/yQNGI8HVFw

— Geonn Cannon (@GeonnCannon) January 15, 2017