This summer, movie theatres saw a monumental turnout at the release of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie.” The movie’s outstanding performance at release, which made about 1.3 billion dollars, causing viewers and filmmakers to turn to a previously untapped market, women. Historically, movies and the entertainment industry have centered around men. This is not a new idea, women in the entertainment industry have called out Hollywood’s patriarchy for decades, we are only just beginning to see the fruits of their labor.
On March 17, 2023, global superstar Taylor Swift began her Eras Tour in Glendale, Arizona. The popstar’s fans brought down Ticketmaster’s website back in November of 2022 and brought attention to the ticket-selling company’s untrustworthy business practices. This summer, the Eras Tour is projected to make over 2.2 billion dollars according to Time Magazine, and it’s only halfway done. The tour has rejuvenated the local communities near Swift’s performance venues, providing the concert-goers with hotels and services that improved the economy surrounding Swift. Fans who couldn’t attend the tour itself will soon be able to enjoy the concerts from their hometown movie theatre with a professionally filmed concert documentary coming to theatres worldwide.
Entertainment marketed towards women has skyrocketed movie and concert sales across all boards, so why is that so surprising? The simple answer to that question is the patriarchy, male dominated fields like the entertainment industry have previously only marketed towards men, which left half of the world’s population hanging. When these people get to enjoy things that they relate to after being ignored for so long, it’s like they are being noticed for the first time.
Considering the outstanding performances of tours like the Eras tour, Beyonce’s Renaissance tour and movies like “Barbie,” it is very likely that the entertainment industry is finally paying attention to its entire consumer base, instead of just one-half. This summer could change the way the world looks at female musicians and filmmakers, it proved just what the millions of “fangirls” around the world can do.
