Anemone's Research Emporium
Where science and creativity collide
Dress for Success and Female Action Heroes: Summary of findings so far
Raters were asked to rate 34 female action heroes in films from the last 20 years on how professionally and practically they were dressed and how much the rater liked how they were dressed. (Study)
See raw data and correlations at the bottom of the page.
Dress for Success and Sexualization
"Professional", "practical" and "like" are all significantly positively correlated with each other, at p<.001.
"Professional", "practical" and "like" are all significantly positively correlated with critic ratings (Metacritic, Rotten Tomatoes, VideoHound), at p<.01 or p<.001.
"Professional", "practical" and "like" are all positively correlated with box office, but not this is not statistically significant. The correlations might become statistically significant with a larger sample, but it is harder to know where this larger sample would come from given that this is already 20 years of female action heroes.
Kids In Mind "sex" is negatively correlated with "professional", "practical" and "like" and with box office, but it's not statistically significant.
For the most part, Kids In Mind "sex" is more of a negative with respect to box office than "professional", "practical" and "like" are positives. So it seems that sexualized content in general is more of a problem than sexualized outfits per se.
Estimated budget is the biggest predictor of box office gross. "Professional", "practical" and "like" have negligible correlations with budget, and are still positively correlated with box office nets. So I don't see any need to partial out budget to see what happens.
Casting
Cfiassurance.com (formerly filmforecasting.com) talks about how actors are either true hero types or anti hero types, and need to play to type for things to work. True heroes have more altruistic motives and are focussed on helping others and stopping the bad guys, while anti heroes have more worldly motives and are focussed on their own wants and needs, including revenge, personal safety, and personal angst. There are about twice as many anti heroes as there are true heroes, among actors and in the general population. You might think that actors would need to be true hero types for action films, but it depends on the story. There are a lot of one-off anti hero films with female leads. However, the biggest action franchises (Alien, Resident Evil, Underworld) feature true hero types. Also, while villains are most likely to be anti hero types, you can have idealistic true hero villains. (Terrorists come to mind.) One type is not better than the other, but they are different and need to be kept in mind.
It turns out that when you classify female action heroes (actors and characters) as true hero and anti hero types, you get gold.1 Check out the following charts:
Kids in Mind content ratings
On average, female action actors who are true hero types have more sex, violence and profanity in their films than anti hero types, regardless of how they are cast. There is an interaction with true hero vs anti hero role for each content type.
Dress for Success ratings
Female anti hero actors scored higher on "professional", "practical", and "like" than true hero actors regardless of how they were cast.
Critic ratings
Look at this! All anti hero actors need to do is show up and they get higher ratings, even when they're miscast! It's not fair! No wonder I don't think much of critic ratings (I'm a true hero type). (I do think this is funny.) Being cast correctly is also associated with higher critic ratings, moreso for anti hero types.
Box office
For both true hero types and anti hero types, being cast right pays off at the box office. Anti heroes have bigger average grosses, but they also have bigger average budgets, so true heroes tend to be more profitable. The true hero actors are the ones with the long running franchises (Milla Jovovich in the Resident Evil movies, Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld movies, Sigourney Weaver in the Alien movies).
Note that I am using World Ratio (WR - worldwide box office/budget, something I invented myself for convenience) because I prefer proportions to subtractions, and because you don't need to take inflation into account. The highest individual WR in this study was Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) with a WR of 6.03. In comparison, Alien (1979) had a WR of 9.54 and Aliens (1986) had a WR of 7.08. You need a WR of at least 2 to make your budget back at the box office. I'd consider anything with a WR less than 2 to be a bomb.
When characters are miscast
It's not just actors who need to be cast properly. Sometimes the characters themselves get miscast. Think of the second Lara Croft movie, in which Ms. Anti hero tries to act like a true hero, and is boring, or the second Miss Congeniality movie, in which the true hero spends way too much time worrying about her personal life, and not enough helping others, and is boring. The second Legally Blonde film also made this mistake, taking a fun anti hero and having her try to save the world. (I couldn't even get through the first act.)
And then there's Catwoman. Catwoman is an anti hero, and Halle Berry is a true hero type. So that didn't work. But the story was a true hero story, so even Catwoman was cast wrong. If you'd taken Catwoman out of the equation, and had Berry's character discover her boss was up to no good and try to stop her, that probably would have worked. But Catwoman has no business trying to save the day. Saying "Hmmm, this could be fun" and playing cat and mouse with her boss until either her boss gives in, she gets bored, or the police show up and take over (or preferably all three at once) would have been far more in character, and far more fun to watch, with the right actor. It's possible the right actor in the right story could even have gotten that outfit to work. Maybe.
Note that I am not saying that Barb Wire could have been saved with better casting. I think there are limits to what even good casting can do. Though you never know.
Also as an aside, Christina Hendricks and Joss Whedon appear to be anti hero types, so they should probably stay away from Wonder Woman. But they could probably clean up on Catwoman. Just saying.
A special comment on Tank Girl
Tank Girl has the lowest WR in this sample (though I think Cutthroat Island would have an even lower WR if its worldwide gross were available), even though I think the casting was good. As far as I can tell, it's a true hero cast as a true hero. So casting isn't bulletproof. Why didn't Tank Girl do well?
Tank Girl is set in a post-apocalyptic world. Cfiassurance.com talks about how post-apocalyptic films don't do as well at the box office as films set in the modern world. And I can see how they would have less appeal. Not that many people identify with the post-apocalyptic landscape (and that's a good thing, mental health-wise), though some people will show up just to watch the spectacle. And zombie apocalypses don't seem to be doing too badly these days.
Cfiassurance.com also talks about how films need to take themselves seriously, so audiences will. Spoofs don't do as well, everything else being equal. And Tank Girl is definitely a tongue-in-cheek film. The hero loses most of her friends (they're killed at the beginning), must rescue the one survivor from a brothel, and stop the Water & Power Company from hurting anyone else, but she simply refuses to act seriously for any of this. Tank Girl is a loving respectful spoof of its genre, the way Buckaroo Bonzai Across the Eighth Dimension spoofs comic book heroes and The Princess Bride spoofs fairy tale romances. I suppose it qualifies as a cult classic. But unlike The Princess Bride, which has a broader appeal because it's a fairy tale romance, Tank Girl has a fairly small target audience.
Don't get me wrong. I saw it in theatres and loved it. (And the review in the local paper was so virulent it was funny.) But good casting will not make every film a great success, even relative to budget. Some films are of limited appeal no matter what.
Sex differences
I selected an equivalent number of male action hero films (same criteria) from 2010 and the first part of 2011 (I stopped in July 2011 when I reached the 34th film) for comparison3. I don't see any point in rating them for "professional", "practical" and "like" since they mostly all dress the same (Conan the Barbarian didn't quite make the sample, being released in August 2011). But I have assembled the rest of the data for them. [If you wanted to compare men and women on this, you could assemble a set of matched pairs (matching for "professional" and "practical" from a larger sample of male action films) then look at box office etc., but that is a project I do not wish to do.]
Similarities
- Both male and female action heroes come in true hero and anti hero types. Both male and female action actors are more likely to be true hero types than anti hero types and/or cast in true hero roles than in anti hero roles. This is more true for male action leads than female action leads but it is true for both sexes. Action franchises tend to be led by true hero types and true hero actors tend to make more action films, for both sexes.
- Being cast correctly makes a big difference in box office for both sexes.
Differences
- Male action heroes do better at the box office than female action heroes, even controlling for budget, but there is a considerable amount of variability for both sexes. (And actually, for correctly cast actors, female actors have higher WRs.)
- Unlike for female action heroes, male true hero actors have *less* sex, violence and profanity in their films than anti hero actors.
- Female true hero actors are more likely to be in R rated films than female anti hero actors. The reverse is true for male action actors.
- Unlike for female action heroes, male anti hero actors have *lower* critic ratings than true hero actors.
- Female action hero actors are miscast (true hero for anti hero, anti hero for true hero) for 53% of the sample. In comparison, male action hero actors are miscast only 21% of the time1. (This doesn't include subtypes within the two types - there is more miscasting there, too, for both sexes.) This is a big difference and should be taken into account when discussing sex differences in success.
Why are female action actors miscast more often? I can think of three possible answers:
- It may be due to the year the film was made. The female sample was released from 1992 to 2011, while the male sample was released in 2010 and 2011 only. Filmmakers may have gotten better at casting in that time.
- It may be because decision makers (who are predominantly male) have an easier time typing men correctly than women. Women are so mysterious and hard to understand, right? Plus "female" is traditionally a personality type, like "jock", "geek", etc. (e.g. the Smurfs), as has been mentioned before on the internet. You don't see multiple women much in action movies, so people don't have as much experience seeing action women as coming in different types.
- The women themselves may be choosing a more diverse selection of roles, in a quest for "balance", while men may prefer to do the same thing over and over again once they find the winning formula. Balance is appropriate for your personal life, but not for your job, where you should probably concentrate on what you do best to maximize success. This is even more true for underrepresented demographic groups, who need to pay a lot more attention to correct casting than white cis straight abled men do. Of course, when you're first starting out, you have to take what you can get, so not everyone on the list can be blamed for this. But it's something more experienced actors should keep in mind whenever they have a choice.
Summary
Dress for Success does seem to help female action heroes succeed at the box office, but avoiding sexualized content is probably even more important, and correct casting appears to be the most important factor of all.
The Data
Correlations
| MPAA2 | KIM Sex | KIM Violence | KIM Profanity | professional | practical | like | Metacritic | Rotten Tomatoes % Fresh | Rotten Tomatoes /10 | VideoHound | US Gross (2011) | Non-US Gross (2011) | Worldwide Gross (2011) | Estimated Budget (2011) | US Net | World Net | World Ratio | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MPAA2 | 1.00 | |||||||||||||||||
| KIM Sex | 0.34* | 1.00 | ||||||||||||||||
| KIM Violence | 0.75*** | 0.45** | 1.00 | |||||||||||||||
| KIM Profanity | 0.66*** | 0.34* | 0.58*** | 1.00 | ||||||||||||||
| professional | -0.12 | -0.24 | -0.12 | 0.06 | 1.00 | |||||||||||||
| practical | -0.09 | -0.25 | -0.02 | 0.16 | 0.91*** | 1.00 | ||||||||||||
| like | -0.01 | -0.18 | 0.05 | 0.14 | 0.91*** | 0.94*** | 1.00 | |||||||||||
| Metacritic | 0.21 | 0.01 | 0.29 | 0.31 | 0.58*** | 0.60*** | 0.58*** | 1.00 | ||||||||||
| Rotten Tomatoes % Fresh | 0.34* | -0.05 | 0.25 | 0.43** | 0.46** | 0.45** | 0.44** | 0.89*** | 1.00 | |||||||||
| Rotten Tomatoes /10 | 0.28 | -0.08 | 0.20 | 0.37* | 0.56*** | 0.55*** | 0.53*** | 0.92*** | 0.96*** | 1.00 | ||||||||
| VideoHound | 0.00 | 0.10 | 0.09 | 0.15 | 0.54*** | 0.51** | 0.51** | 0.77*** | 0.64*** | 0.69*** | 1.00 | |||||||
| US Gross (2011) | -0.06 | -0.26 | -0.09 | -0.06 | 0.20 | 0.17 | 0.19 | 0.26 | 0.24 | 0.30 | 0.26 | 1.00 | ||||||
| Non-US Gross (2011) | 0.23 | -0.33 | 0.18 | 0.09 | 0.17 | 0.18 | 0.26 | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.22 | 0.78*** | 1.00 | |||||
| Worldwide Gross (2011) | 0.15 | -0.32 | 0.07 | 0.03 | 0.19 | 0.18 | 0.25 | 0.32 | 0.32 | 0.33 | 0.26 | 0.91*** | 0.97*** | 1.00 | ||||
| Estimated Budget (2011) | -0.14 | -0.13 | -0.11 | -0.13 | 0.04 | -0.00 | 0.11 | 0.07 | 0.05 | -0.04 | 0.20 | 0.43* | 0.55*** | 0.60*** | 1.00 | |||
| US Net (US Gross - Budget) | 0.02 | -0.13 | -0.02 | 0.07 | 0.12 | 0.14 | 0.03 | 0.24 | 0.15 | 0.29 | 0.08 | 0.58*** | 0.35 | 0.46** | -0.48** | 1.00 | ||
| World Net (Worldwide Gross - 2*Budget) | 0.14 | -0.30 | 0.12 | 0.06 | 0.28 | 0.31 | 0.32 | 0.33 | 0.33 | 0.38* | 0.22 | 0.63*** | 0.73*** | 0.74*** | -0.10 | 0.84*** | 1.00 | |
| World Ratio (Worldwide Gross/Budget) | 0.14 | -0.27 | 0.12 | 0.03 | 0.19 | 0.20 | 0.16 | 0.35 | 0.35 | 0.41* | 0.28 | 0.59*** | 0.65*** | 0.66*** | -0.11 | 0.80*** | 0.92*** | 1.00 |
*p<.05; **p<.01; ***p<.001
Raw data (downloaded May 11, 2012)
| Film | Character | Actor Archetype1 | Character Archetype1 | MPAA2 | KIM Sex | KIM Violence | KIM Profanity | average professional score (count) | average practical score (count) | average like score (count) | Metacritic | Rotten Tomatoes % Fresh | Rotten Tomatoes /10 | VideoHound | US Gross (2011) | Non-US Gross (2011) | Worldwide Gross (2011) | Estimated Budget (2011) | US Net (US Gross - Budget) | World Net (Worldwide Gross - 2*Budget) | World Ratio (World Gross/Budget) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alien 3 (1992) | Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) | True hero | True hero | R | 2 | 8 | 7 | 6.25 (24) | 9.39 (23) | 7.42 (24) | 39 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 88,463,662 | 166,392,518 | 254,856,180 | 79,735,000 | 8,728,662 | 95,386,180 | 3.20 | |
| Point of No Return (1993) | Maggie Hayward-Claudia Anne Doran-Nina (Bridget Fonda) | Anti hero | Anti hero | R | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6.23 (22) | 5.68 (22) | 5.41 (22) | 50 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 46,388,242 | |||||||
| The Next Karate Kid (1994) | Julie Pierce (Hilary Swank) | Anti hero | True hero | PG | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7.08 (25) | 8.96 (25) | 7.08 (25) | 5 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 13,428,329 | 10,411,857 | 23,840,186 | |||||
| The River Wild (1994) | Gail Hartman (Meryl Streep) | Anti hero | True hero | PG-13 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7.35 (23) | 9.74 (23) | 7.39 (23) | 55 | 5.8 | 2.5 | 70,519,457 | 71,398,620 | 141,918,077 | 67,783,500 | 2,735,957 | 6,351,077 | 2.09 | |
| Cutthroat Island (1995) | Morgan (Geena Davis) | Anti hero | True hero | PG-13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 7.59 (22) | 7.86 (22) | 7.82 (22) | 44 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 14,677,380 | 143,589,600 | -128,912,220 | |||||
| Tank Girl (1995) | Tank Girl (Lori Petty) | True hero | True hero | R | 3 | 6 | 5 | 3.54 (24) | 4.88 (24) | 4.83 (24) | 42 | 4.9 | 1.5 | 5,955,298 | 3,663,000 | 9,618,298 | 36,630,000 | -30,674,702 | -63,641,702 | 0.26 | |
| The Net (1995) | Angela Bennett (Sandra Bullock) | True hero | True hero | PG-13 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 7.83 (23) | 8.13 (23) | 6.26 (23) | 36 | 5.1 | 2.5 | 74,326,614 | 87,765,480 | 162,092,094 | 32,234,400 | 42,092,214 | 97,623,294 | 5.03 | |
| The Quick and the Dead (1995) | Ellen (Sharon Stone) | Anti hero | True hero | R | 3 | 6 | 3 | 8.29 (24) | 8.75 (24) | 7.92 (24) | 49 | 55 | 5.9 | 2.5 | 27,306,254 | 46,886,400 | -19,580,146 | ||||
| Barb Wire (1996) | Barb Wire (Pamela Anderson) | True hero | Anti hero | R | 5 | 8 | 7 | 2.89 (19) | 2.74 (19) | 2.63 (19) | 40 | 29 | 3.8 | 1.5 | 5,410,832 | ||||||
| The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) | Samantha Caine / Charly Baltimore (Geena Davis) | Anti hero | True hero | R | 3 | 9 | 9 | 7.86 (21) | 7.62 (21) | 6.90 (21) | 44 | 67 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 47,706,329 | 79,885,849 | 127,592,178 | 92,709,500 | -45,003,171 | -57,826,822 | 1.38 |
| Alien Resurrection (1997) | Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) | True hero | Anti hero | R | 5 | 9 | 8 | 7.19 (21) | 8.38 (21) | 7.14 (21) | 63 | 55 | 5.9 | 3.0 | 66,158,750 | 157,218,004 | 223,376,753 | 103,815,000 | -37,656,250 | 15,746,753 | 2.15 |
| G.I. Jane (1997) | Jordan O'Neill (Demi Moore) | Anti hero | Anti hero | R | 3 | 7 | 7 | 9.22 (23) | 9.61 (23) | 7.78 (23) | 62 | 57 | 6.0 | 2.5 | 66,675,746 | 67,825,800 | 134,501,546 | 69,210,000 | -2,534,254 | -3,918,454 | 1.94 |
| Miss Congeniality (2000) | Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) | True hero | True hero | PG-13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5.10 (21) | 4.57 (21) | 4.81 (21) | 43 | 42 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 139,341,282 | 138,202,870 | 277,544,153 | 58,707,000 | 80,634,282 | 160,130,153 | 4.73 |
| Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) | Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) | Anti hero | Anti hero | PG-13 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6.22 (23) | 7.09 (23) | 6.43 (23) | 33 | 19 | 3.9 | 2.0 | 164,970,082 | 180,524,309 | 345,494,391 | 144,635,500 | 20,334,582 | 56,223,391 | 2.39 |
| Resident Evil (2002) | Alice (Milla Jovovich) | True hero | True hero | R | 5 | 8 | 6 | 2.85 (20) | 2.95 (20) | 4.10 (20) | 33 | 34 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 49,888,858 | 77,496,622 | 127,385,480 | 41,035,500 | 8,853,358 | 45,314,480 | 3.10 |
| Kill Bill Vol 1 (2003) | The Bride (Uma Thurman) | Anti hero | Anti hero | R | 6 | 10 | 6 | 7.23 (22) | 8.55 (22) | 6.73 (22) | 69 | 85 | 7.7 | 3.5 | 84,960,043 | 134,350,200 | 219,310,243 | 36,360,000 | 48,600,043 | 146,590,243 | 6.03 |
| Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (2003) | Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie) | Anti hero | True hero | PG-13 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 6.55 (20) | 7.37 (19) | 6.35 (20) | 43 | 24 | 4.5 | 2.5 | 79,580,158 | 110,104,373 | 189,684,530 | 115,140,000 | -35,559,842 | -40,595,470 | 1.65 |
| Underworld (2003) | Selene (Kate Beckinsale) | True hero | True hero | R | 2 | 9 | 5 | 6.11 (19) | 6.47 (19) | 5.74 (19) | 42 | 31 | 4.7 | 2.0 | 62,988,476 | 53,010,174 | 115,998,650 | 26,664,000 | 36,324,476 | 62,670,650 | 4.35 |
| Catch that Kid (2004) | Maddy (Kristen Stewart) | Anti hero | True hero | PG | 3 | 3 | 2 | 7.36 (22) | 8.55 (22) | 6.64 (22) | 33 | 11 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 19,862,487 | 269,882 | 20,132,369 | 14,269,200 | 5,593,287 | -8,406,031 | 1.41 |
| Catwoman (2004) | Patience Phillips/Catwoman (Halle Berry) | True hero | Anti hero | PG-13 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1.84 (19) | 1.95 (19) | 2.53 (19) | 27 | 10 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 47,804,649 | 49,823,290 | 97,627,939 | 118,910,000 | -71,105,351 | -140,192,061 | 0.82 |
| Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) | Alice (Milla Jovovich) | True hero | True hero | R | 6 | 9 | 7 | 4.43 (23) | 6.13 (23) | 5.43 (23) | 35 | 21 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 60,883,648 | 92,979,751 | 153,863,398 | 53,509,500 | 7,374,148 | 46,844,398 | 2.88 |
| Aeon Flux (2005) | Aeon Flux (Charlize Theron) | Anti hero | True hero | PG-13 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 2.85 (20) | 2.30 (20) | 3.05 (20) | 36 | 10 | 3.3 | 2.5 | 29,879,684 | 30,520,976 | 60,400,660 | 71,597,600 | -41,717,916 | -82,794,540 | 0.84 |
| Domino (2005) | Domino Harvey (Keira Knightley) | True hero | Anti hero | R | 7 | 9 | 10 | 4.30 (20) | 5.60 (20) | 5.45 (20) | 36 | 19 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 11,743,394 | 14,752,916 | 26,496,311 | 57,740,000 | -45,996,606 | -88,983,689 | 0.46 |
| Elektra (2005) | Elektra (Jennifer Garner) | Anti hero | True hero | PG-13 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 5.05 (21) | 5.00 (21) | 5.24 (21) | 34 | 10 | 3.7 | 1.0 | 28,188,347 | 37,267,525 | 65,455,872 | 49,656,400 | -21,468,053 | -33,856,928 | 1.32 |
| Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous (2005) | Gracie Hart (Sandra Bullock) | True hero | Anti hero | PG-13 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7.50 (18) | 6.32 (19) | 5.63 (19) | 34 | 15 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 55,982,401 | 61,106,892 | 117,089,293 | 51,966,000 | 4,016,401 | 13,157,293 | 2.25 |
| Ultraviolet (2006) | Ultraviolet (Milla Jovovich) | True hero | Anti hero | PG-13 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 4.18 (22) | 4.95 (22) | 4.00 (22) | 18 | 9 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 20,585,873 | 13,920,704 | 34,506,576 | 33,318,000 | -12,732,127 | -32,129,424 | 1.04 |
| Underworld: Evolution (2006) | Selene (Kate Beckinsale) | True hero | True hero | R | 7 | 9 | 5 | 5.29 (21) | 6.00 (21) | 5.81 (21) | 36 | 16 | 3.8 | 2.5 | 69,211,343 | 54,443,751 | 123,655,094 | 55,530,000 | 13,681,343 | 12,595,094 | 2.23 |
| Resident Evil: Extinction (2007) | Alice (Milla Jovovich) | True hero | True hero | R | 4 | 9 | 4 | 4.85 (20) | 5.95 (20) | 6.00 (20) | 41 | 22 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 55,105,763 | 105,611,240 | 160,717,002 | 48,960,000 | 6,145,763 | 62,797,002 | 3.28 |
| Doomsday (2008) | Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) | Anti hero | True hero | R | 6 | 9 | 9 | 6.58 (19) | 7.63 (19) | 7.00 (19) | 51 | 50 | 5.1 | 2.0 | 11,485,450 | 11,687,731 | 23,173,181 | 31,299,000 | -19,813,550 | -39,424,819 | 0.74 |
| Whiteout (2009) | Carrie Stetko (Kate Beckinsale) | True hero | Anti hero | R | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8.39 (18) | 8.42 (19) | 7.68 (19) | 28 | 7 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 10,717,490 | 7,890,534 | 18,608,024 | 36,505,000 | -25,787,510 | -54,401,976 | 0.51 |
| Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010) | Alice (Milla Jovovich) | True hero | True hero | R | 1 | 9 | 5 | 5.90 (20) | 6.95 (20) | 6.65 (20) | 37 | 24 | 4.1 | 1.5 | 61,108,662 | 239,941,414 | 301,050,076 | 60,978,000 | 130,662 | 179,094,076 | 4.94 |
| Salt (2010) | Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) | Anti hero | Anti hero | PG-13 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 9.05 (21) | 8.67 (21) | 8.57 (21) | 65 | 62 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 120,239,843 | 178,047,615 | 298,287,459 | 111,793,000 | 8,446,843 | 74,701,459 | 2.67 |
| Colombiana (2011) | Cataleya (Zoe Saldana) | True hero | Anti hero | PG-13 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 6.86 (22) | 7.73 (22) | 7.41 (22) | 45 | 27 | 4.8 | 36,665,854 | 24,300,000 | 60,965,854 | 40,000,000 | -3,334,146 | -19,034,146 | 1.52 | |
| Hanna (2011) | Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) | Anti hero | Anti hero | PG-13 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 7.55 (20) | 8.80 (20) | 6.90 (20) | 65 | 71 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 40,259,119 | 23,522,959 | 63,782,078 | 30,000,000 | 10,259,119 | 3,782,078 | 2.13 |
Equivalent sample of male action heroes3 (without dress for success ratings)
| Film | Character | Actor Archetype1 | Character Archetype1 | MPAA2 | KIM Sex | KIM Violence | KIM Profanity | Metacritic | Rotten Tomatoes % Fresh | Rotten Tomatoes /10 | VideoHound | US Gross (2011) | Non-US Gross (2011) | Worldwide Gross (2011) | Estimated Budget (2011) | US Net (US Gross - Budget) | World Net (Worldwide Gross - 2*Budget) | World Ratio (World Gross/Budget) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clash of the Titans (2010) | Sam Worthington | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 39 | 28 | 4.3 | 1.5 | 165,875,291 | 335,379,107 | 501,254,397 | 127,037,500 | 38,837,791 | 247,179,397 | 3.95 |
| Faster (2010) | Dwayne Johnson | True Hero | Anti Hero | R | 4 | 8 | 5 | 44 | 42 | 4.9 | 2.5 | 23,618,832 | 12,588,845 | 36,207,677 | 24,391,200 | -772,368 | -12,574,723 | 1.48 |
| Green Zone (2010) | Matt Damon | True Hero | True Hero | R | 1 | 7 | 8 | 63 | 53 | 6 | 3 | 35,625,035 | 60,804,100 | 96,429,135 | 101,630,000 | -66,004,965 | -106,830,865 | 0.95 |
| Inception (2010) | Leonardo DiCaprio | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | PG-13 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 74 | 86 | 8 | 3.5 | 297,345,187 | 541,643,761 | 838,988,948 | 162,608,000 | 134,737,187 | 513,772,948 | 5.16 |
| Iron Man 2 (2010) | Robert Downey Jr | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 57 | 74 | 6.5 | 3 | 317,525,994 | 316,577,450 | 634,103,444 | 203,260,000 | 114,265,994 | 227,583,444 | 3.12 |
| Jonah Hex (2010) | Josh Brolin | Anti Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 33 | 13 | 3.4 | 1.5 | 10,719,035 | 362,001 | 11,081,036 | 47,766,100 | -37,047,065 | -84,451,164 | 0.23 |
| Legion (2010) | Paul Bettany | Anti Hero | True Hero | R | 2 | 8 | 7 | 32 | 20 | 3.8 | 1 | 40,822,820 | 28,202,912 | 69,025,732 | 26,423,800 | 14,399,020 | 16,178,132 | 2.61 |
| Macgruber (2010) | Will Forte | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | R | 8 | 9 | 8 | 43 | 47 | 5.1 | 2 | 8,664,567 | 810,291 | 9,474,858 | 10,163,000 | -1,498,433 | -10,851,142 | 0.93 |
| Machete (2010) | Danny Trejo | True Hero | True Hero | R | 8 | 10 | 8 | 60 | 73 | 6.3 | 2 | 27,027,122 | 17,784,915 | 44,812,037 | 10,671,150 | 16,355,972 | 23,469,737 | 4.20 |
| Predators (2010) | Adrien Brody | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | R | 2 | 10 | 8 | 51 | 64 | 5.8 | 1.5 | 52,848,299 | 76,458,708 | 129,307,008 | 40,652,000 | 12,196,299 | 48,003,008 | 3.18 |
| Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) | Jake Gyllenhaal | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 50 | 35 | 5 | - | 92,239,059 | 248,378,605 | 340,617,664 | 203,260,000 | -111,020,941 | -65,902,336 | 1.68 |
| Repo Men (2010) | Jude Law | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | R | 7 | 8 | 7 | 32 | 23 | 4.2 | 2 | 14,019,691 | 4,690,281 | 18,709,972 | 32,521,600 | -18,501,909 | -46,333,228 | 0.58 |
| Robin Hood (2010) | Russell Crowe | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 53 | 43 | 5.4 | 2 | 106,985,627 | 219,927,331 | 326,912,958 | 203,260,000 | -96,274,373 | -79,607,042 | 1.61 |
| Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) | Michael Cera | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | PG-13 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 69 | 81 | 7.5 | 2 | 32,038,121 | 16,403,371 | 48,441,491 | 60,978,000 | -28,939,879 | -73,514,509 | 0.79 |
| Super (2010) | Rainn Wilson | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | R | 8 | 8 | 10 | - | 47 | 5.4 | - | 327,716 | - | - | 2,500,000 | -2,172,284 | - | - |
| The Book of Eli (2010) | Denzel Washington | True Hero | True Hero | R | 5 | 9 | 6 | 53 | 48 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 96,380,870 | 63,287,741 | 159,668,611 | 81,304,000 | 15,076,870 | -2,939,389 | 1.96 |
| The Karate Kid (2010) | Jaden Smith | True Hero | True Hero | PG | 2 | 4 | 1 | 61 | 67 | 6.2 | - | 179,470,061 | 185,509,715 | 364,979,776 | 40,652,000 | 138,818,061 | 283,675,776 | 8.98 |
| The Spy Next Door (2010) | Jackie Chan | True Hero | Anti Hero | PG | 2 | 5 | 3 | 27 | 13 | 3.5 | 1.5 | 24,703,292 | 21,270,607 | 45,973,899 | - | - | - | - |
| The Warrior's Way (2010) | Jang Dong Gun | True Hero | True Hero | R | 5 | 10 | 4 | 45 | 31 | 4.4 | - | 5,758,701 | 5,509,595 | 11,268,296 | 42,684,600 | -36,925,899 | -74,100,904 | 0.26 |
| Tron: Legacy (2010) | Garrett Hedlund | True Hero | True Hero | PG | 2 | 5 | 2 | 49 | 50 | 5.9 | 2 | 174,867,386 | 231,716,400 | 406,583,786 | 172,771,000 | 2,096,386 | 61,041,786 | 2.35 |
| Season of the Witch (Jan 2011) | Nicholas Cage | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 28 | 10 | 3.6 | 1 | 24,827,228 | 66,800,000 | 91,627,228 | 40,000,000 | -15,172,772 | 11,627,228 | 2.29 |
| The Mechanic (Jan 2011) | Jason Statham | True Hero | True Hero | R | 7 | 8 | 6 | 49 | 53 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 29,121,498 | 21,949,309 | 51,070,807 | 40,000,000 | -10,878,502 | -28,929,193 | 1.28 |
| Drive Angry (Feb 2011) | Nicholas Cage | True Hero | True Hero | R | 9 | 8 | 9 | 44 | 45 | 5.3 | 1.5 | 10,721,033 | 18,210,368 | 28,931,401 | 50,000,000 | -39,278,967 | -71,068,599 | 0.58 |
| I Am Number Four (Feb 2011) | Alex Pettyfer | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | PG-13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 36 | 32 | 4.8 | 1 | 55,100,437 | 89,400,000 | 144,500,437 | 60,000,000 | -4,899,563 | 24,500,437 | 2.41 |
| Sanctum (Feb 2011) | Rhys Wakefield | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | R | 3 | 7 | 8 | 42 | 30 | 4.5 | 2 | 23,209,310 | 85,400,000 | 108,609,310 | 30,000,000 | -6,790,690 | 48,609,310 | 3.62 |
| Battle Los Angeles (Mar 2011) | Aaron Eckhart | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 37 | 35 | 4.9 | 2 | 83,552,429 | 128,266,925 | 211,819,354 | 70,000,000 | 13,552,429 | 71,819,354 | 3.03 |
| Hobo With a Shotgun (Mar 2011) | Rutger Hauer | Anti Hero | True Hero | not rated | 5 | 10 | 10 | 55 | 67 | 5.8 | - | 703,372 | - | - | 3,000,000 | -2,296,628 | - | - |
| Source Code (Apr 2011) | Jake Gyllenhaal | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 74 | 91 | 7.5 | - | 54,712,227 | 92,620,470 | 147,332,697 | 32,000,000 | 22,712,227 | 83,332,697 | 4.60 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (May 2011) | Johnny Depp | Anti Hero | Anti Hero | PG-13 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 45 | 34 | 5.1 | - | 241,071,802 | 802,800,000 | 1,043,871,802 | 250,000,000 | -8,928,198 | 543,871,802 | 4.18 |
| Priest (May 2011) | Paul Bettany | Anti Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 2 | 8 | 5 | 41 | 17 | 4 | - | 29,136,626 | 49,172,505 | 78,309,131 | 60,000,000 | -30,863,374 | -41,690,869 | 1.31 |
| Thor (May 2011) | Chris Hemsworth | Anti Hero? | True Hero | PG-13 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 57 | 77 | 6.7 | - | 181,030,624 | 268,295,994 | 449,326,618 | 150,000,000 | 31,030,624 | 149,326,618 | 3.00 |
| Green Lantern (June 2011) | Ryan Reynolds | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 4 | 7 | 4 | 39 | 27 | 4.6 | - | 116,601,172 | 103,250,000 | 219,851,172 | 200,000,000 | -83,398,828 | -180,148,828 | 1.10 |
| Transformers: Dark of the Moon (June 2011) | Shia LaBoeuf | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 42 | 35 | 4.9 | - | 352,390,543 | 771,356,453 | 1,123,746,996 | 195,000,000 | 157,390,543 | 733,746,996 | 5.76 |
| Captain America: The First Avenger (July 2011) | Chris Evans | True Hero | True Hero | PG-13 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 66 | 79 | 7 | - | 176,654,505 | 191,953,858 | 368,608,363 | 140,000,000 | 36,654,505 | 88,608,363 | 2.63 |
1I have gone back and forth on some of these classifications, and it doesn't affect the overall patterns much if at all.
2MPAA data was converted to a scale of 1-5 before calculations, with G=1, PG=2, PG-13=3; R=4 and NC-17=5.
3I took all male action hero films that met the same criteria as the female action films in the study, starting with all of 2010 and continuing through into 2011 until I had 34 films.