By now you know that “Wonder Woman” kicked ass at the box office. But here’s the cherry on top of the sundae: “Wonder Woman” helmer Patty Jenkins now holds the record for highest domestic opening for a female director. Diana Prince’s origin story raked in $100.5 million this weekend, topping the $85.1 million opening of Sam Taylor-Johnson’s “Fifty Shades of Grey” in 2015 and the $69.6 million debut of Catherine Hardwicke’s “Twilight” in 2008.
Jenkins’ film also out-performed the highest-opening animated films helmed by women. “Frozen,” Jennifer Lee’s retelling of “The Snow Queen,” opened to $67.3 million in 2013. Brenda Chapman’s “Brave” opened with $66.3 million and Jennifer Yuh Nelson’s “Kung Fu Panda 2” debuted to $47.6 million. The latter two both hit theaters in 2011.
While Jenkins is only the second woman to helm a live-action film with a budget of $100 million or more — Kathryn Bigelow was the first with 2002’s “K:19: The Widowmaker” — the success of “Wonder Woman” sets an optimistic precedent for upcoming big budget projects from women. Two projects with $100 million budgets will open in 2018: Ava DuVernay’s “A Wrinkle in Time” and Niki Caro’s “Mulan.” In fact, as the first film of its size to be directed by a woman of color, “A Wrinkle in Time” has already cemented itself as a milestone for female filmmakers. Brie Larson-starrer “Captain Marvel,” co-directed by Anna Boden, will open in 2019. And news recently broke that Gina Prince-Bythewood will helm Marvel’s “Silver Sable and Black Cat.”
It’s likely that Jenkins and “Wonder Woman” will only continue to break records throughout the movie’s theatrical run. It is sure to be 2017's top-grossing movie directed by a woman. And, considering the opening numbers and the positive critical response, a sequel revolving around Diana Prince is all but guaranteed. Jenkins and star Gal Gadot are contractually bound to a second “Wonder Woman” film and the director “is more than ready to return to the character for a contemporary-set” installment, The Hollywood Reporter writes. It’s probable that Jenkins will best herself and make history again in the next few years as the first woman to direct a sequel (to her own movie) with a budget of over $100 million.
