Women at the Box Office

A funny thing happened at the weekend box office -- more women went to see Sylvester Stallone in "The Expendables" than went to see Julia Roberts in "Eat Pray Love." How could that be? I really thought that "Eat Pray Love" was a shoo-in, certainly a stiletto shoe-in. 40% of "The Expendables" viewers were women.

Why?

I think we all want a little fantasy, especially women. The economy has kicked our collective butts for sure, and we have the scars to prove in (just check our bank accounts and our resumes). Nothing wrong with a little escapism for a few hours. I think women chose the movie that allowed them to escape, rather than face, their lives.

And what's wrong with a little action/adventure, it's not just for boys. The gender lines are blurring, at least in entertainment. It's just not as clean cut where romantic comedies are for women and adventure films are for men. We just all go to the best entertainment, that's it.

BTW, a lot of men went to see "Eat Pray Love". Only reason I didn't was because of the "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" marathon on Bravo. (did I just write that?)

Some say it's because women really want men like Sylvester Stallone but I don't think that's the case. They want fantasy, and that's what Hollywood provides. Their real partners are at home, or sitting next to them in the theater.

There was a good article yesterday in the Christian Science Monitor yesterday, where I'm also quoted on this very topic. You can read it here.

What's your experience? Jim.