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2017 was a memorable year for many reasons – good and bad. But the one prevailing trend was the rise of woman-oriented action heroines featured in the movies. The year was characterized by the spellbinding success of female lead movies, who topped the box office after 59 years. It was in 1958 that female-led movies last ruled the roost in the box office – Auntie Mame, South Pacific and Cat on Hot Tin Roof held the top three ranks in the box office collection lists that year.

A sheer number of daring, audacious and marvelous female lead movies have topped the highest grossing movies charts in the domestic market, that laid down the stepping stone for future movies and dynamic actresses with more power. The success of these movies will ensure that more such films with female character-driven stories are written. Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast and Wonder Woman all secured the top three spots in the highest grossing movies charts, according to studio estimates. Now isn’t that lovely?
Hollywood went through a rough phase in 2017 with the media reports and scandals pouring out about hundreds of female actors, writers, agents, directors, executives and producers who revealed that they were victims of sexual harassment in the entertainment industry. The success of these female-driven movies is a befitting reply to this. In fact, seen in this light, the box office victory assumes a larger significance in the context of women empowerment in the industry.
And now, without further ado, onto the movies!

Star Wars: The Last Jedi (starring Daisy Ridley as Rey)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi topped the list of highest-grossing movies, earning $533.1 million domestically. The film is loaded with a universe of characters, but it has been appreciated the most for its portrayal of strong female characters, including Daisy Ridley as ambitious light saber- wielding trainee Jedi Rey and also Carrie Fisher in her last performance as General Leia. The movie proceeds with Rey discovering new abilities with the help and guidance from Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill – in preparation for the ultimate battle against the First Order.

Beauty and the Beast (starring Emma Watson as Belle)

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast movie, starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens, is a live-action remake of classic 1991 Disney animation. The film earned a whopping $504 million last year. It is the story of a French girl who falls in love with a monster, played by Dan, who was once a handsome prince. Emma Watson as Belle illuminated the beloved classic character we all know from the cartoons and fairy tales. In the movie, Belle makes the decision to save her father’s life and sacrifice herself by staying with the beast in the castle and eventually, begins to see the humanity within the beast. It was refreshing to witness how, with a few changes in the storyline, this classic fairy tale became more female-oriented and empowering. Belle, as portrayed in this particular iteration of the story, is independent and makes her own choices.

Wonder Woman (starring Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman/ Diana Prince)

An Amazon warrior princess, right out of the pages of DC Comics, Gal Gadot’s Diana emerged as a fresh and pure spirit, empowered with superhuman strength, a ruthless sword and a truth-telling tether. Her character hailed from an all-female mythological island of Themyscira, which is why she was bewildered to behold the opposite sex for the first. More crucially, she also fails to understand the lack of empathy in the outside world. One of the most important attributes of her character is her unique perspective on the war-ravaged world she find herself confronted with. The movie became the highest grossing action film directed by a woman, Patty Jenkins. The box office collections stand at $412.6 million. Apart from this, the Israeli actress made it to the top three in Forbes Highest-grossing actors list, with the film earning over $1.4 billion worldwide. Not a bad year’s work for a ‘wonder woman’!

That’s not it!

These top three movies are not the only ones with female lead characters. The coming of age story ‘Lady Bird’ revolves around a high school teenage girl and the bumpy relationship with her mother starring Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf. It is an American comedy-drama written and directed by debutante Greta Gerwig. Last year’s top-earning comedy film was Girls Trip, starring Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall, Queen Latifah and Tiffany Haddish.
2017 was definitely THE year for female cinematic glory. Here’s hoping the next few years take note!