--- description: Studios are finally beginning to recognize that making movies that tell women's stories and draw female audiences is just a good business decision. title: 22 Movies Featuring Women We're Excited to See in 2015 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [movies](/tag/movies/) ## movies Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 22 Movies Featuring Women We're Excited to See in 2015  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jan 6, 2015 3:33 PM CUT  by [Eliana Dockterman](/author/eliana-dockterman/)  ## Eliana Dockterman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Correspondent Jan 6, 2015 3:33 PM CUT In many ways, 2014 was a landmark year for women in film. But don’t expect to see a ton of progress for women in Hollywood this year: of the 100 wide-release movies scheduled for this year, only seven are directed by women. Still, studios are finally beginning to recognize that making movies that tell women’s stories and draw female audiences is just a good business decision. Here are 22 movies made by or starring women that we’re excited to see this year. **MORE:** [How Hollywood Can Get More Women to See Movies](http://time.com/2811177/maleficent-female-summer-blockbusters/ "undefined") ### _Sisters_  Honoree Tina Fey (L) and actress Amy Poehler attend ELLE's 21st Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration at the Four Seasons Hotel on October 20, 2014 in Beverly Hills, California. Michael Buckner—Getty Images for ELLE Penned by former _Saturday Night Live_ writer Paula Pell, _Sisters_ reunites Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. The two comedians play adult siblings who decide to throw one last house party before their parents sell their childhood home. ### _The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2_  Murray Close—Lionsgate The final installment in _The Hunger Games_ franchise starring Jennifer Lawrence as a girl leading a revolution in a dystopian society is set to premiere in November. ### _Mistress America_  Actress Greta Gerwig attends The 11th Annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards at Spring Studios on November 3, 2014 in New York City. Gary Gershoff—WireImage The latest film from writer/director Noah Baumbach (_Frances Ha_, _The Fantastic Mr. Fox_) will premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. _Mistress America_, starring Greta Gerwig and Lola Kirke, focuses on a lonely college freshman whose life is shaken up by her adventurous soon-to-be stepsister. ### _Fifty Shades of Grey_  Fifty Shades of Grey Universal Pictures Love it or hate it, the twisted love story of Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) is headed to the big screen just in time for Valentine’s Day. _Fifty Shades of Grey_ will be the first blockbuster in recent memory to be based on a book by a woman (E.L. James), adapted into a screenplay by a woman (Kelly Marcel) and directed by a woman (Sam Taylor-Johnson). ### _Trainwreck_  Amy Schumer attends the Glamour 2014 Women Of The Year Awards at Carnegie Hall on November 10, 2014 in New York City. Dimitrios Kambouris—2014 Getty Images Amy Schumer is taking her talents to the big screen. The writer and star of Emmy-nominated _Inside Amy Schumer_ has penned the comedy _Trainwreck_, which will be directed by Judd Apatow and star a slew of celebs, including herself, Bill Hader, Daniel Radcliffe, Brie Larson, Tilda Swinton and even LeBron James. ### _Kidnap_  Actress Halle Berry attends the 2014 God's Love We Deliver Golden Heart Awards at Spring Studios on October 16, 2014 in New York City. Gilbert Carrasquillo—FilmMagic Move over Liam Neeson. In this October action movie, Halle Berry plays a mom who will stop at nothing to recover her kidnapped son. ### _Cinderella_  Cinderella Disney Following the success of _Maleficent_ last year, Disney is doubling down on its live-action retelling of classic fairytales. Lily James (_Downton Abbey_), Helena Bonham Carter and Cate Blanchett bring _Cinderella_ to life this March. ### _Pitch Perfect 2_  Pitch Perfect 2 Universal Pictures _Pitch Perfect_ won millions of teen fans in 2012 with its warmhearted messages of sisterhood and song. First-time director Elizabeth Banks (who had a small part in the original film) will helm the sequel, which stars returning Barden Bellas Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson, along with some new faces. **MORE:** [Anna Kendrick May Be a Princess, But She’s No Damsel in Distress](http://time.com/3592456/anna-kendrick-may-be-a-princess-but-shes-no-damsel-in-distress/ "undefined") ### _Americanah_  Lupita Nyong'o arrives for the 2014 Glamour Women of the Year Awards in New York November 10, 2014. Timothy A. Clary—AFP/Getty Images _12 Years a Slave_ star Lupita Nyong’o is set to have a huge 2015: Not only is she appearing in the new _Star Wars_ and _Jungle Book_ movies, she will also star in and produce (along with Brad Pitt’s Plan B productions) _Americanah._ In the movie based on Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s novel of the same name, she and _Selma_ standout David Oyelowo will play young Nigerian immigrants making their way in America. ### _Tomorrowland_  Tomorrowland Disney Following in the footsteps of Jennifer Lawrence and Shailene Woodley, Britt Robertson will star as the female heroine in this science fiction flick with big blockbuster potential. She and George Clooney play an unlikely duo who unearth the secrets of a place called Tomorrowland. ### _The Intern_  Actress Anne Hathaway attends a screening of 'Song One' at the 26th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Film - Day 3 Film Screenings & Events on January 4, 2015 in Palm Springs, California. Vivien Killilea Nancy Meyers (_Something’s Gotta Give_, _It’s Complicated_) is back with yet another comedy that riffs on age and professional women. _The Intern_, starring Anne Hathaway, Robert De Niro and Rene Russo, follows an older intern working at a fashion website. ### _Spy_  Actresses Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy joke onstage at the 84th Annual Academy Awards on February 26, 2012 in Hollywood, California. Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images Following the success of _The Heat_, Melissa McCarthy is teaming up with Paul Feig (_Bridesmaids_, _The Heat_) again to make the action comedy _Spy_ about a CIA analyst who goes undercover to infiltrate the world of arms dealers after her partner goes M.I.A. The film stars McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jason Statham and Jude Law. ### _Jane Got a Gun_  Natalie Portman in Jane Got a Gun Unanimous Entertainment Natalie Portman’s female western, _Jane Got a Gun_, has been plagued by delays. After [rotating through](http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/first-look-natalie-portman-joel-edgerton-in-delayed-western-janes-got-a-gun-20150104 "undefined") two directors, three villains, three release dates and a lawsuit, the film produced by and starring Portman is set to premiere in September. ### _By the Sea_  US actress and special UN envoy Angelina Jolie (L) and her husband US actor Brad Pitt attend the fourth day of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London on June 13, 2014. Carl Court—AFP/Getty Images This drama, written and directed by Angelina Jolie, will reunite the actress and now-husband Brad Pitt for the first time since 2005’s _Mr. & Mrs. Smith. By the Sea_ looks like a much quieter film for the couple, who will star as a married dancer and a writer traveling France in the 1970s in hopes of saving their marriage. ### _Don’t Mess With Texas_  Reese Witherspoon at Palm Springs Convention Center on January 3, 2015 in Palm Springs, California. C Flanigan—Getty Images Reese Witherspoon seems to be unstoppable as a producer. Riding the success of _Gone Girl_ and _Wild_, Witherspoon will produce and star in _Don’t Mess With Texas_. In the movie, directed by _The Proposal_ and _Step Up_ vet Anne Fletcher, Witherspoon plays an uptight cop trying to protect the widow of a drug boss (Sofia Vergara) from murderers. ### _Inside Out_  Inside Out Disney Pixar Pixar’s first attempt at a female-centric animated film, _Brave_, was a critical letdown. But hopefully an all-star cast that includes Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling and Bill Hader will liven up this summer’s _Inside Out_, which explores the emotions inside the head of a young girl named Riley. ### _Sicario_  Actress Emily Blunt attends the "Edge Of Tomorrow" red carpet repeat fan premiere tour at AMC Loews Lincoln Square on May 28, 2014 in New York City. Jim Spellman—WireImage After wowing opposite Tom Cruise in the sci-fi war flick _Edge of Tomorrow_ last year, Blunt will star in her own action thriller. In _Sicario_, she plays a young FBI agent that joins a secret CIA operation to take down a cartel. Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro also star in the film. ### _Z for Zachariah_  Margot Robbie attends the Harper's Bazaar Women Of The Year awards 2014 at Claridge's Hotel on November 4, 2014 in London, England. David M. Benett—2014 David M. Benett One of the most anticipated movies premiering at Sundance is Craig Zobel’s adaptation of the psychological thriller _Z for Zachariah,_ based on the book of the same name. Margot Robbie, breakout star from _The Wolf of Wall Street_, will play a woman who believes she is the only survivor of a nuclear attack until she encounters two other men, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Chris Pine. ### _The Last 5 Years_  The Last Five Years Radius-TWC _Pitch Perfect 2_ isn’t the only musical starring Anna Kendrick that comes out in 2015\. In _The Last 5 Years_, a film adaptation of the successful off-Broadway musical that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2014, Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan play an actress named Cathy and a novelist named Jamie. The story of their five-year relationship is told from two different perspectives: Cathy’s in reverse chronological order and Jamie’s in chronological order. ### _Sleeping with Other People_  Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie filming Leslye Headland's "Sleeping With Other People" on July 8, 2014 in New York City. Steve Sands—GC Images Leslye Headland, who directed _Bachelorette_, will premiere her next film, _Sleeping With Other People_ at Sundance. In the movie, Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie star as Jake and Lainey, friends who lose their virginity to each other in college. The pair meets again 12 years later and realize they have both become serial cheaters and form an unlikely friendship as they one another in a quest to find healthy romantic relationships. ### _Lila & Eve_  Honorees Jennifer Lopez (L) and Viola Davis attend the 2014 Variety Power of Women presented by Lifetime at Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons on October 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Michael Buckner—2014 Getty Images Another high-profile Sundance picture stars Jennifer Lopez and Viola Davis as two mothers who, after the police fail to catch the people who gunned down both their children in a drive-by shooting, team up to find a way to avenge their deaths. ### _Jupiter Ascending_  Jupiter Ascending Warner Bros. Lana and Andy Wachowski, the sibling duo behind the _The Matrix_ trilogy, wrote, produced and directed _Jupiter Ascending_. The science-fiction movie centers on a janitor (Mila Kunis) who is told by an interplanetary warrior (Channing Tatum) that she is actually alien royalty. **MORE:** [Dear Aaron Sorkin, If You Don’t Think There Are Enough Good Roles for Actresses, Write One Yourself](http://time.com/3636226/aaron-sorkin-women-roles-hollywood/ "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3653495/movies-2015-featuring-women/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3653495/movies-2015-featuring-women/"},"headline":"22 Movies Featuring Women We're Excited to See in 2015","datePublished":"2015-01-06T15:33:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:26.164Z","description":"Despite the success of blockbusters like The Hunger Games, the gender gap in Hollywood persists. 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