With a resounding cha-ching at the box office, the “Star Wars” franchise has provided solid-gold proof that female heroes cannot only open a movie, they can crush it — in a good way.
First came “The Force Awakens,” which opened Dec. 18, 2015, to nearly $248 million and went on a record-breaking box-office spree. It was the first entry in a new trilogy, the first live-action “Star Wars” movie since 2005, and it starred Daisy Ridley as the new face of the Jedi.
The newest entry to the franchise, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” leads up to the events of “A New Hope,” the movie that launched the galactic epic. “Rogue One” stars Felicity Jones as the leader of a ragtag team of rebels in a film that opened to “a massive $155 million domestically and nearly $300 million globally,” Variety reported.
The new power women of the “Star Wars” universe stand on the shoulders of Princess/Senator/General Leia Organa, played by the late great Carrie Fisher.
It was a banner year for female heroes on screens big and small, with more on the way in 2017. Here are some examples of women flexing their muscles now and into the future:
• The title heroine in the musical animated feature “Moana” is a Polynesian teenager — and a Disney princess — who inspires a god and overcomes forces of evil to save her island. While “Moana” is so far No. 12 in the year’s domestic box-office grosses, “Finding Dory” — with Ellen DeGeneres voicing the forgetful blue tang fish — is No. 1, with more than $486 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
• The “Ghostbusters” reboot, with women taking the lead, didn’t go over so well with critics, but Melissa McCarthy remains a comedic hero. With co-stars Kate McKinnon, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones, the film is No. 18 at the box office.
• There were brainy heroines at the movies this year, too. Amy Adams would seem to be a surefire Oscar nominee as linguistics professor Louise Banks, who “leads an elite team of investigators” trying to communicate with aliens in “Arrival.” A film about historical superheroes opens Jan. 6. “Hidden Figures” showcases the African-American women at NASA — played by Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae — who were behind the successful launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn.
• On the small screen, “The Walking Dead’s” Sasha, Sonequa Martin-Green, has been announced as the lead and a lieutenant commander in “Star Trek: Discovery,” joining Michelle Yeoh, who will play the captain. (“Star Trek: Voyager” also featured a woman at the helm.) “Discovery” will debut in May on CBS, then move to the paid streaming service CBS All Access.
• TV’s “Supergirl” survived a move from CBS to The CW, joining male DC Comic heroes Green Arrow and The Flash as series leads on that network.
• DC at the movies this year introduced Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” On June 2, she’ll be the title heroine in her own origin story, directed by Patty Jenkins.
As Wonder Woman would say, “Thank Hera for that!”
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.
First Published: December 30, 2016, 5:00 a.m.
