Here's Why 'Ocean's 8' Made More Money During Its Opening Weekend Than Any Other Film In The Franchise
'Ocean's Twelve' previously held the record.
The ladies have done it again!
According to Box Office Mojo, Ocean's 8 grossed $41.5 million over the weekend, which makes it the most successful debut of the Oceans franchise. Ocean's 8 toppled previous record-holder, Ocean's Twelve, which grossed $39.1 million in 2004. And that's just the domestic box office — so far, Ocean's 8 has made $53.7 million worldwide. The movie reportedly cost $70 million to make, so this is a big feat. Especially considering that anything "all-female," "female-led," or gender-swapped has extreme pressure to perform.
Here are a few theories on why the film is killing it.
1. The star-power
How often do you get a big group of high-powered, successful women from all walks of life in one film? Ocean's 8 brought together movie stars, YouTube rappers, TV icons, and Rihanna! Let's be real: Nabbing Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Awkwafina, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, and Mindy Kaling was an epic feat. Judging from Twitter, this was reason enough to see the film.
2. It's a reboot that feels original
Ocean's 8 doesn't feel like someone plugged women into roles written for men. As Forbes writes, "Aside from the name and the loose connection, this is essentially an original heist flick starring eight female movie stars."
Also, seeing women pull off a slick heist is incredibly enticing, reboot or no reboot.
3. It's receiving mostly favorable reviews
According to Variety, "In Ocean's 8, Debbie and her team come together and devise their jigsaw puzzle of a heist with an aplomb that feels as natural as it is crowd-pleasing."
Rolling Stone enjoyed its aesthetic.
"Ocean's 8 is a heist caper that looks gorgeous, keeps the twists coming and bounces along on a comic rhythm that's impossible to resist. What more do you want in summer escapism?" the outlet shares.
Meanwhile, the Chicago Sun-Times gushed: "Love this cast. They make for a nifty team, and their timing is impeccable."
3. Enthusiastic fans outweigh misogynistic trolls
We'll never forget the frustrating response to Paul Feig's 2016 all-female reboot of Ghostbusters. In fact, during an interview at the Ocean's 8 premiere, Bullock addressed Ghostbusters' ridiculously sexist backlash.
"That was unfair on a level that I can’t even not be mad about talking about," the actress told Variety. "[The stars] literally walked into a firing squad."
"The women are here — we’re not going anywhere," Bullock added. "But this isn’t about just women. We like sitting at the table with men. We just want to be invited to their table as well because we like them at our table."
Awkwafina echoed a similar plea.
"My advice for those people is just watch the movie first...and then go on Reddit," she wrote.
Even the Ocean's 8 trailer saw a lot of down-votes and misogynistic comments, but this time, movie-goers have made themselves heard.
After the success of Wonder Woman and this weekend's Ocean's 8 bombshell, it's clear people want female-led, female-centric films.
We aren't going anywhere.
