Hollywood, Why Don’t You Understand the Facts?

When it comes to making money, it sometimes feels as if Hollywood is completely ignores the facts. In terms of hard numbers and dollars and cents, reality is all around, but Hollywood doesn’t see it. Hollywood is like those climate change deniers: their minds are made up so don’t bore them with facts.

Movies with hunky guys make money. Everyone loves a movie with a hunky guy. Hunky guys doing heroic things are inspiring. Hunky guys falling in love with beautiful women are what life should be about. Lots of hunky guys in big armor plated outfits going around fighting in wars are especially appealing. Right?

Actually, Hollywood, that’s not what I think.

There are 100 million people over the age of 50 in the U.S. Those 100 million people control almost 70% of all disposable income in the U.S. That’s the crowd buying a third of all movie tickets.

Based on numbers alone, at least of a third of the movies released each year should be directed at people over 50.

Women are 51% of the population of the U.S. Women are 52% of the movie going, ticket buying population. Women make or influence 85% of all buying decisions.

Based on numbers alone, at least half of the movies released each year should be directed at women.

Combine the over 50 part and the female part and it paints a very different picture than the norm of what we get out of Hollywood. Older women should be the the target audience for Hollywood.

Television is better, but not yet perfect.

Television more often shows us older men and women who are simply real people doing what real people do. They aren’t armor plated or leaping from tall buildings. They are living, learning, loving. And it’s not just characters over 50. They might even be over 70!

There’s money and ticket sales in even the tales of the over 70 crowd.

Hollywood should give a listen to the facts. Or, Hollywood could continue to be surprised every time a “women’s” movie outsells a big blockbuster. While they’re being surprised, we’ll all be watching something else – maybe a web series starring women over 50.