In predictable fashion, Hollywood execs and movie heads are already picking apart the women-led Ocean’s Eleven reboot, hoping it won’t suffer the same fate as Ghostbusters.
Just as the cast for Ocean’s Ocho (a title that should absolutely be changed) was revealed on Wednesday—with Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, Helena Bonham Carter and Awkwafina officially on the team—so came news that a Ghostbusters sequel is unlikely to happen due to poor box office numbers. The remake has grossed $181 million worldwide since its release, which isn’t a lot considering it had a reported production budget of $150 million.
The budget for the Ocean’s reboot is said to be much less, roughly $70 million. According to The Hollywood Reporter:
A project insider insists that the Ocean’s franchise is better poised for the gender swap than Ghostbusters given that it is a frothy heist film aimed at adults rather than fanboy-skewing action property with supernatural elements based on a movie that some now consider sacrosanct. After all, the 2001 Ocean’s Eleven, with George Clooney at the center of the caper, was itself a remake of the similarly titled 1960 movie, starring Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack pals.
Translation: sources say maybe this movie will do better than that movie because it’s a different movie. Some might even say not every movie featuring women is the same.
But because Ghostbusters failed to break even, execs have reportedly been concerned about future “all-female” film projects. THR reports that post-Ghostbusters, studios “began reevaluating other all-female reboots, a group that also includes Fox’s The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.” By the grace of the studio gods, in the case of Ocean’s Ocho:
Warners is confident that it won’t find a Ghostbusters-esque box-office reception, particularly overseas (Ghostbusters’ international haul is $63 million so far, representing a dismal 35 percent of its total). In fact, when it came to filling out its cast, instead of putting together a mixed-gender group of eight burglars, Warner Bros. president of creative development and worldwide production Greg Silverman was more focused on assembling an ethnically diverse group of women that reflects the global audience. And as the studio fills out the eighth slot of the ensemble, one thing is certain: Warners will not be casting a male actor.
Great. There also appears to be more faith in the Ocean’s actresses (particularly Blanchett, Bullock and Hathaway), since they have much more box office experience and Oscar wins between them.
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