While Sex and the City’s success might not have changed all of Hollywood’s minds about women as a market one place where women are getting new found attention is New Line the studio that produced the film.
New Line, which has been around for 40 years and has been known in the past for The Nightmare on Elm Street flicks and lately for the Lord of the Rings trilogy. It was subsumed last year under the Warner Brothers umbrella when the studios took all their smaller entities under one roof. There were questions at that time whether it would even exist at all in the future.
But according to the Hollywood Reporter under new president Toby Emmerich the studio is looking to make money off an underserved market — women. Lynda Obst took her new pic What Was I Thinking with Elizabeth Banks and Leslie Mann there and they released the successful He’s Just Not That Into You.
But during the past year — while adjusting to the fact that it’s no longer an independent unit of Time Warner but a scaled-down production label within the Warner Bros. fold — New Line has softened its image so that it now comfortably nurtures female-skewing fare.
I’m all for more women’s pictures but I really hope that making women’s films includes a wide variety of films and not just the regressive chick flicks like He’s Just Not That Into You and Ghosts of Girlfriends past. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for now because on the docket is August’s The Time Traveler’s Wife and of course next summer’s Sex and the City 2.
New Line has always been smartly budget conscious and women’s flicks (and women stars) are cheaper and people are discovering they actually do make money, maybe just not all of it on the first weekend. Warner Brothers head of marketing Sue Kroll who also handles the New Line releases understands how to reach women:
Here’s a quote from Kroll:
“Most women want to know more info before they go,” she said. “Women tend to read a lot and listen to their friends’ opinions.”
Finally. Someone has acknowledged out loud that you need to market to women differently. It’s not that it costs more, it’s just different.
Here’s a quote from Emmerich on why they are focusing on women:
“Women make up two quadrants and I think they are underserved in theatrical,” Emmerich said. “Maybe not on network or cable, but I’ve always felt that for theatrical, women are underserved. Movies tend to be made for the guys, and women kind of go along.”
It’s about time we stopped just going along for the ride. Power to New Line and Warner Brothers for getting in the game of women. Hopefully others will follow and make some good flicks.
New Line Find Its Feminine Side (Hollywood Reporter)
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