--- description: Female-led movies ruled the box office title: Guardians of the Galaxy and Lucy: How Women Won Summer Movies image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07f20ac5601ccc40/69869d5236176070e490d380/5703_tpt_00043r.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Living](/tag/time-section-living/) ## Living Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # These 8 Actresses Proved Women Can Carry A Summer Blockbuster  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Aug 7, 2014 2:00 PM CUT  Scarlett Johansson in Lucy Scarlett Johansson in LucyUniversal Pictures  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Aug 7, 2014 2:00 PM CUT Summer movie season is almost over and women may just have come out ahead this year. At the beginning of the summer, I guessed whether[ various summer movies would be sexist based on their trailers](http://time.com/72350/how-sexist-are-this-summers-blockbusters-an-informal-ranking/ "undefined"). I was right about many movies: _The Other Woman_ did _n_ _ot_ pass the [Bechdel test](http://entertainment.time.com/2014/01/09/2013-was-a-good-year-for-women-in-movies-what-will-2014-hold/ "undefined") and Emily Blunt _did_ have a surprisingly robust role in _Edge of Tomorrow._ But while studios may have been predictable, audiences did something this summer that I didn’t expect. They voted for women with their dollars. When given the choice between traditional testosterone-fueled action movies and films starring women, audiences chose the fairer sex. _The Fault in Our Stars_ starring Shailene Woodley beat the Tom Cruise action blockbuster _Edge of Tomorrow_ at the box office. _Lucy_, an sci-fi action flick starring Scarlett Johansson, surprised box office analysts with a massive opening weekend that trounced _Hercules_. And the Angelina Jolie movie _Maleficent_ is currently the fourth highest grossing film of the summer in the U.S., ahead of tentpole films like _X-Men: Days of Future Past_, _The Amazing Spider-Man 2_ and _Godzilla_. In part, audiences came out for these films because they have blockbuster fatigue: there are only so many summers we can spend watching cities be destroyed, tortured heroes struggle with the great burden of their powers and robots fight one another. _Edge of Tomorrow_, _Hercules_, _X-Men_, _Spider-Man_ and _Godzilla_ all fit in this tired mold. Hollywood is also finally giving women a chance to shine with roles that are more complicated than the damsel in distress, and it’s paying off. But many great actresses are still being criminally underused: I want an _X-Men_ movie with just Jennifer Lawrence and Ellen Page; _Dawn of the Planet of the Apes_ wasted the talents of Keri Russell; and _Tammy_, starring Melissa McCarthy and Susan Sarandon, was a good reminder of what happens when talent is underserved by the vehicle. Yet these were exceptions to a solid summer for actresses. Here are the highlights:  Rose Byrne in Neighbors Universal **Rose Byrne in** **_Neighbors_** At this point a bromance movie starring Seth Rogen is mandatory summer viewing (from _Knocked Up_ to _This Is the End_), supplanting, to some extent, classic rom-coms. The bromance in question this summer was between Rogen and Zac Efron. And though those two were undeniably the stars of the film, Rose Byrne had the funniest, best role that a woman has gotten in this sort of movie to date. [I’ve written on the sneaky feminism of _Neighbors_ before](http://time.com/2811177/maleficent-female-summer-blockbusters/ "undefined"), but to sum up: Usually the wife in these movies is a nag. But Byrne escaped that trap. When he wrote the film, Rogen said he wanted to create a wife that was “just as fun-loving and irresponsible as the guy” and a couple that “got along really well.” Rogen even went so far as to include a scene where the couple bickers over who has to be the wet towel in the relationship and who gets to be the delinquent—gender stereotypes be damned. **MORE:** [How Hollywood Can Get More Women to See Movies](http://time.com/2811177/maleficent-female-summer-blockbusters/ "undefined")  Angelina Jolie in a scene from Maleficent Frank Connor—AP/Disney **Angelina Jolie in** **_Maleficent_** _Maleficent_ grossed almost $235 million domestically, thanks to Angelina Jolie. Even though the critics [weren’t wild about the film](http://time.com/136170/maleficent-movie-review-angelina-jolie/ "undefined"), most [_were_ wild about Jolie’s performance](http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-maleficent-angelina-jolie-movie-reviews-critics-20140530-story.html "undefined") and hailed the “bewitching” return of a true movie star. _Maleficent_ was Jolie’s first film in four years, and the actress proved that she can still carry even mediocre movies to box office success. The role also didn’t to relegate Jolie to the classic fairy tale template. It turns out that adults and children alike want to see tropes more complicated than the pretty princess and the evil stepmother, even in fantasy films. **MORE:** [Maleficent and 16 Other Famous Queens of Mean](http://time.com/2801704/maleficent-villains-wicked-witch-catwoman/ "undefined")  20th Century Fox **Shailene Woodley in** **_Fault in Our Stars_** **and** **_Divergent_** Shailene Woodley—[even if she says she’s not a feminist](http://time.com/87967/shailene-woodley-feminism-fault-in-our-stars/ "undefined")—is doing a lot to help women in film with the roles she chooses. In different ways, Woodley bucks convention in both _Divergent_ and _The Fault in Our Stars_. The former movie elevates the girl to hero status and relegates her boyfriend to a side-kick role, the same trick that made _The Hunger Games_, another franchise based on a young adult novel, a success. _The Fault in Our Stars_ similarly turns convention on its head: forget [the manic pixie dream girl](http://www.avclub.com/article/the-bataan-death-march-of-whimsy-case-file-1-emeli-15577 "undefined"), Gus is Hazel’s manic pixie dream boy: a cute, positive love interest who forces Woodley’s Hazel to try things she never would have done before. Audiences embraced the new star who refuses to be put in a corner: _The Fault in Our Stars_ edged out the Tom Cruise vehicle _Edge of Tomorrow_ with $48 million its opening weekend (_Edge_ made $28.7). Meanwhile, _Divergent_ had an even more impressive $56 million opening weekend, topping the box office. **MORE:** [Shailene Woodley on Why She’s Not a Feminist](http://time.com/87967/shailene-woodley-feminism-fault-in-our-stars/ "undefined")  Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow David James—(c) 2013 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.- U.S., Canada, Bahamas & Bermuda (c) 2013 Village Roadshow Films (BVI) Limited- All Oth **Emily Blunt in** **_Edge of Tomorrow_** Before the movie premiered, _Edge of Tomorrow_ was oft-called a hybrid of some Tom Cruise movie you’ve already seen and _Groundhog Day_. But it turns out _Edge_ was a surprisingly original and delightful film, thanks in part to Emily Blunt. I can’t remember another movie where a woman gets to be the best soldier on the battlefield. She plays Mr. Miyagi to Cruise’s Karate Kid, training _him_ how to fight, not the other way around. Blunt’s imposing action hero (so unmoved by emotion that she’s able to shoot Cruise over and over again without blinking) [promises more robust roles for women in action movies in the future](http://time.com/2886034/female-superhero-action-figure/ "undefined"): even the third _Expendables_ movie has added a woman. **MORE:** [The Female Superhero May Finally Take Flight](http://time.com/2886034/female-superhero-action-figure/ "undefined")  Actress Jillian Bell arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of '22 Jump Street' at Regency Village Theatre on June 10, 2014 in Westwood, California. Jeffrey Mayer—WireImage **Jillian Bell in** **_22 Jump Street_** Unlike _21 Jump Street_ in which Brie Larson shined as Jonah Hill’s love interest, _22 Jump Street_ relegated everyone who wasn’t Jonah Hill or Channing Tatum to one-liners. But Jillian Bell delivered her one-liners the best. _Workaholics’_ Bell steals a scene at the end of the movie when she and Hill get into a punching match. “Jillian makes me want to quit show business and realize I am a complete fraud,” [Hill has said](http://www.upi.com/Entertainment%5FNews/Movies/2014/06/13/Jonah-Hill-praises-22-Jump-Street-co-star-Jillian-Bell/4951402666868/ "undefined"), “because she is the funniest person I have ever met in my life.” Like Byrne, Bell proves that there’s room for women even in bromances. Maybe we’ll even get some more gal-mances? (Bra-mances? Womances? Somebody come up with a word for this.) [The _Bridesmaids_ team is working on another comedy directed by Kristen Wiig](http://time.com/2861611/kristen-wiig-will-direct-bridesmaids-followup/ "undefined"), so there’s still hope! **MORE:** [How Comedy Central Got Guys to Think Feminists Are Funny](http://time.com/45771/how-amy-schumer-got-guys-to-think-feminists-are-funny/ "undefined")  Patricia Arquette in Boyhood IFC **Patricia Arquette in** **_Boyhood_** It may not be a blockbuster, but the most talked about movie of the summer was _Boyhood_, Richard Linklater’s fictional movie that he filmed over the course of 12 years. Audiences watched a boy grow from age six to 18 and his family grow with him. Enter Patricia Arquette, who plays the boy’s unappreciated working single mom with a penchant for marrying bad men. Arquette’s character is a good person who maybe isn’t the best mom, a rare role in Hollywood where mothers are usually superwomen or evil. And though Arquette began and ended the 12-year-process a beautiful movie star, she allowed some of her transformations—weight gain and loss, the inevitable wrinkles that come with age—to be filmed without vanity. [It’s an incredible performance](http://time.com/3005745/boyhood-patricia-arquette-ethan-hawk/ "undefined") that will hopefully open up the industry to more realistic and varying portrayals of women. **MORE:** [Forget the Boy: Watching Patricia Arquette Age in _Boyhood_ is Astounding](http://time.com/3005745/boyhood-patricia-arquette-ethan-hawk/ "undefined")  Scarlett Johansson as Lucy Jessica Forde—Universal **Scarlett Johansson in** **_Captain America: The Winter Soldier_** **,** **_Lucy_** **and** **_Under the Skin_** _Lucy_ rocked the box office, beating Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson’s _Hercules_ with an opening weekend of just under $44 million. (_Hercules_ only grossed $29.8 million.) [Johansson proved that she can carry her own summer action flick](http://time.com/3034230/scarlett-johansson-lucy-and-the-future-of-the-female-action-star/ "undefined") and fueled the fire for a possible Black Widow movie, starring Johansson’s character in _The Avengers_. But that wasn’t all Johansson did this summer. She also appeared in _Captain America: The Winder Soldier_ and played a (literally) man-eating alien in _Under the Skin_. Johansson’s beauty is dangerous in a conventional way as Black Widow, and in a fascinatingly creepy way in _Under Her Skin_ and _Lucy_. For the last year, the actress has been working to prove she’s more than just a pretty face, meditating on what it means psychologically to wield the power of her beauty. If she continues seeking out unique roles, Johansson has the potential to make the summer blockbuster a little more interesting than it has been for the past decade. **MORE:** [Scarlett Johansson, _Lucy_ and the Future of the Female Action Star](http://time.com/3034230/scarlett-johansson-lucy-and-the-future-of-the-female-action-star/ "undefined")  Zoe Saldana as Gamora in 's Guardians of the Galaxy Marvel **Zoe Saldana in** **_Guardians of the Galaxy_** _Guardians of the Galaxy_ set a record for biggest August opening weekend, grossing a whopping $94.3 million. That was at least partly thanks to Saladana, the most famous face on the _Guardians_ poster. (Poor Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel are hidden as a CGI raccoon and CGI tree, respectively.) Saldana has [spoken openly before](http://time.com/3051693/zoe-saldana-guardians-of-the-galaxy-space/ "undefined") about how she gravitates toward sci-fi films (like _Star Trek_, _Avatar_ and _Guardians of the Galaxy_) because they tend to offer better roles to women. Other actresses are making the same calculus, like Jennifer Lawrence in the _Hunger Games_ franchise, Blunt in _Edge of Tomorrow_ and Johansson in _Lucy_. Saldana’s performance in _Guardians of the Galaxy_ has only strengthened the outcry by audiences for a female superhero film. Marvel Studios President [Kevin Feige struggled to explain last weekend](http://time.com/3075927/marvel-kevin-feige-guardians-of-the-galaxy-black-widow/ "undefined") why he hadn’t greenlit one yet even though the box office success of _Lucy_, _Guardians_ and _Hunger Games_ suggests that it would be a good business decision. Thankfully, Sony confirmed this week that a [female superhero film](http://time.com/3079882/a-female-superhero-movie-is-finally-coming/ "undefined") is finally on the way. It will star a woman from the _Spider-Man_ franchise. Hopefully a Black Widow movie or a [Wonder Woman movie](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/12/04/and-the-new-wonder-woman-is/ "undefined") or even [one starring a female Thor will follow.](http://time.com/2987551/thor-marvel-woman/ "undefined") **MORE:** [Why Outer Space Is the Best Place to Be for Young Actresses](http://time.com/3051693/zoe-saldana-guardians-of-the-galaxy-space/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3086329/lucy-avengers-malificent-scarlett-johansson-angelina-jolie/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3086329/lucy-avengers-malificent-scarlett-johansson-angelina-jolie/"},"headline":"These 8 Actresses Proved Women Can Carry A Summer Blockbuster","datePublished":"2014-08-07T14:00:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:08:40.730Z","description":"From Angelina Jolie to Scarlett Johansson, women ruled the box office","url":"https://time.com/3086329/lucy-avengers-malificent-scarlett-johansson-angelina-jolie/","keywords":["Living","Opinion topic","Culture"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07f20ac5601ccc40/69869d5236176070e490d380/5703_tpt_00043r.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliana Dockterman","jobTitle":"Correspondent","url":"https://time.com/author/eliana-dockterman/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt07f20ac5601ccc40/69869d5236176070e490d380/5703_tpt_00043r.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Film Title: Lucy","caption":"Film Title: Lucy","creditText":"Universal Pictures","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3086329/lucy-avengers-malificent-scarlett-johansson-angelina-jolie/","name":"These 8 Actresses Proved Women Can Carry A Summer Blockbuster"}}]}] ```