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[Prompto]

Given how white-washed this summer’s blockbusters look—from The Avengers to Jurassic World—it’s no surprise that audiences rushed to see Furious 7 this weekend, which grossed a whopping $385 million internationally. People want to see characters who look like them represented in the movies, and Fast & Furious is currently the only major action franchise that boasts a truly diverse cast.

In any other series, a handsome white guy like Paul Walker would be the sole hero. With the baby blues of Daniel Craig and a six-pack like Channing Tatum, he looks the part—it was a piece of what made him such a bankable star in the years leading up to his death. And ostensibly, Walker was the star of the first two films. But by the fifth installment, he was just one of an impressively diverse entourage that included an Italian-American man, a Japanese man, two black men, a Latino woman, and an Israeli woman.

Yes, as it turns out, women can drive fast too. Fast & Furious has been surprisingly progressive when it comes to gender equality. Letty throws a punch as hard as Dominic. And when we meet an attractive female hacker (played by Game of Thrones’ Nathalie Emmanuel) in the latest installment, one male character is quick to admonish another who assumes that only nerdy boys can be programmers.

Casting a wide range of actors in the films has paid off handsomely for Universal. The film set a franchise-best record this weekend by pulling in a diverse audience. According to the Hollywood Reporter, 75% of the North American audience for Furious 7 was non-white. Hispanics—who attended the movie more than any other ethnic group, according to the Motion Picture Association of America—made up 37% of ticket buyers, followed by Caucasians (25%), African-Americans (24%) and Asians (10%).

The international cast and global shooting locations—in this film, the characters makes stops in L.A., the Dominican Republic, Japan, Abu Dhabi and London—have also drawn a massive global audience. The movie set records for the biggest opening weekend of all time in 26 countries, including Mexico and Taiwan.

http://time.com/3772166/furious-7-box-office-diversity/

There's a bit more in the link. So with this and the success of shows like Empire, anyone think there might be some change with Hollywood casting decisions in the future?

 

[Lunar15]

I love how slow Hollywood is. It's like when they released Bridesmaids and saw that yes, you can have comedies with women and yes, both men and women will go see them. Then they treated it like it was some kind of market shift or something. Well, no, you just made a comedy starring women for once.

 

[Crud]

They still going to be slow and hesitant to change anything. Until people in Hollywood stop hating minorities not much will change.

 

[xxracerxx]

That's great, wasn't there an article about how the last films only had a 37% non-white audience or something? I could be just thinking of the entire film industry though.

Can't wait to watch this on Wed.

 

[esms]

There's a bit more in the link. So with this and the success of shows like Empire, anyone think there might be some change with Hollywood casting decisions in the future?

Define "future."

 

[Slayven]

That Cookie effect

 

[Spaced Harrier]

The ironic thing is that you should title this "in the U.S.A."

 

[hillsighed]

How they even keep track of that.

I don't remember having to specify my race when buying movie tickets.

 

[Ghazi]

Yeah, this was actually fairly noticeable at my screening. However, it helps that I'm not white and I went with Serbians, so there's that.

I wonder how they could tell, though.

How they even keep track of that.

I don't remember having to specify my race when buying movie tickets.

Obviously they counted at the door

 

[overcast]

The ironic thing is that you should title this "in the U.S.A."

To be fair it was enormous in South America too.

Fast and Furious nailed it with the cast in general I think.

 

[Kinyou]

What's ratio that other blockbusters have?

 

[RastaMentality]

Yeah, this was actually fairly noticeable at my screening. However, it helps that I'm not white and I went with Serbians, so there's that.

I wonder how they could tell, though.

I think CinemaScore does polling at various theaters around the country.

 

[Megalosaro]

They they just imply italian americans aren't white?

 

[Cheebo]

How they even keep track of that.

I don't remember having to specify my race when buying movie tickets.

Polling. Only need a small sample size for a scientific polling result. You likely never got polled for an election but they predict them very well.

 

[ZeroGravity]

They still going to be slow and hesitant to change anything. Until people in Hollywood stop hating minorities not much will change.

It has nothing to do with hate and everything to do with money. Yes, they're slow to change, but they're not going to resist making money.

 

[Bold One]

Hollywood execs are out of touch...who knew

The success of the F&F franchise is not a secret, but Hollywood and its many many directors are too chicken shit to give due representation.

 

[Broken Joystick]

This is Brazillia.gif

 

[Subpar Spatula]

I read through the article in which it references another article for the evidence. I didn't actually see statistics anywhere. Can someone point me in the right direction?

Edit: Found it. It's based on stats that, in general, Caucasians make up 25% of movie goers in the USA. It doesn't necessarily mean Furious 7 was 75% not Caucasian.

 

[jon bones]

Yet another reason this franchise is the best.

 

[atr0cious]

That Cookie effect

Please explain what this means.

 

[harSon]

Considering the speed at which Hollywood works, these statistics should have a tangible effect in about 10-15 years.

 

[Crud]

It has nothing to do with hate and everything to do with money. Yes, they're slow to change, but they're not going to resist making money.

Yes they will. They will resist for as long as they can no sweat off their back. There is nothing that can convince me otherwise.

 

[xxracerxx]

Please explain what this means.

 

[TheKaeptain]

On May 1st Hollywood will laugh when at this when they make over 220 mil opening weekend with a movie with one black dude in a supporting role.


"See white people make more money."

 

[Miker]

This is Brazillia.gif

Got your back.

I'm happy for Furious 7's success, happy for its diverse cast, and happy to be in that 10% Asian audience.

 

[badcrumble]

I hope Hollywood pays attention to this but does not pay attention to the similar American Sniper/Passion of the Christ effect, lol.

 

[Mr-Joker]

Fast & Furious has been surprisingly progressive when it comes to gender equality.

Ha ha funny, parading women as sex object or doing a close up shot on a woman boob as she comes out of the water is not gender equality.

 

[Abounder]

http://time.com/3772166/furious-7-box-office-diversity/

There's a bit more in the link. So with this and the success of shows like Empire, anyone think there might be some change with Hollywood casting decisions in the future?

Definitely. We're getting a black stormtrooper lead in the new Star Wars. A black Human Torch in F4. Already had a black Annie, and Rihanna in Home was the first black protagonist in a 3D animation. Sony wants to be more diverse with female Ghostbusters, talks of Elba as Bond, and a female Spiderverse movie. Even the MCU will finally make a Black Panther movie. WB already signed The Rock and Will Smith for DC films.

On the other hand Scarjo is the lead for Ghost in the Shell, Exodus whitewashing, etc. So not all projects will be created equal, and in the latter they suffered for it.

 

[LosDaddie]

Yes, the diverse cast is the obvious reason

 

[Madness]

Correlation does not necessarily imply causation here. Are people going in droves to see it because of the fact the cast is diverse, or because it's a huge blockbuster movie aimed at a young demographic? Fast cars, music, The Rock and Vin Diesel etc.

Plus this isn't new either. Hispanics go to see movies far more than any other demographic, followed by African-Americans. According to population, white people make only slightly more than 50% of all ticket purchases, despite being almost 67-72% of the population.

It does show that the notion they need to cater to white audiences doesn't really make as much sense now. Diverse casts with diverse stories will draw in moviegoers. You don't need to whitewash everything.

 

[jamesinclair]

They they just imply italian americans aren't white?

There's a reason there's a derogatory racial term for Italians in the us. Italians and Irish were not considered white for a long time

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

On May 1st Hollywood will laugh when at this when they make over 220 mil opening weekend with a movie with one black dude in a supporting role.


"See white people make more money."

Everyone else is Caucasian?

Ha ha funny, parading women as sex object or doing a close up shot on a woman boob as she comes out of the water is not gender equality.

I'd say that titillation, nothing to do with gender equality.

 

[ArtHands]

Han is not a Japanese, stupid author. He's Korean

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

Han is not a Japanese, stupid author. He's Korean

Why not do something productive and email the author and editor to correct them?

 

[TheKaeptain]

Everyone else is Caucasian?

How many minorities are on the Avengers team?

 

[JDSN]

That Cookie effect

Fuck Cookie, the only reason the latinos started caring about F&F is because we lost our collective shit to Danza Kuduro that whole year. Not Diesel, Not Rodriguez, not that israeli chick with the bathing suit scene that made everyone in Latin America laugh.

It was all that damn song for us.


Edit: Also, we love Tom Cruise for some reason.

 

[esms]

There's a reason there's a derogatory racial term for Italians in the us. Italians and Irish were not considered white for a long time

I'm always surprised by how many people don't know this.

 

[Gaz_RB]

Ha ha funny, parading women as sex object or doing a close up shot on a woman boob as she comes out of the water is not gender equality.

I don't think anyone said that it was. More talking about the badass girls that are in the movie and how heroes don't all have to be white males.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

How many minorities are on the Avengers team?

Sam Jackson and Cheadle as far as I know. I'm not Disney/Marvel/Avenger guy.

 

[Mato]

I hope it is ok to watch the movie if you are a different percentage of white

 

[IdreamofHIME]

Still trying to work out why the OP mentions Empire.

F&F features an multi national ensemble cast aimed at making money from an international Box office..
Empire is a niche show with a mainly black cast that isn't shown outside N.America.

How the two relate...i don't know.

 

[ExpressGalaxy]

This read to me as more of 'The demographics were fairly equal despite a low Asian turnout' rather than '75% were not Caucasian'. Are other movies calculating their non-Caucasian %? It'd be interesting to see their stats, too.

 

[Sickboy007]

They they just imply italian americans aren't white?

I'm not complaining in this case, means we got Vin Diesel in the racial draft.

 

[Kimawolf]

Ha ha funny, parading women as sex object or doing a close up shot on a woman boob as she comes out of the water is not gender equality.

women like being sexy too and enjoy it too you know? you can still be about equality and show some sex, especially when your two leading stars are Rock and Vin. And congrats movie, its a bomb ass movie I loved it!

 

[Madness]

Han is not a Japanese, stupid author. He's Korean

The character is Japanese, the actor who plays him is Korean, and even if Han Seoul-Oh is a Korean name, nothing in the movies ever implied he's Korean, all we see is home live in Tokyo at the start, be one of the main guys involved in underground racing, working with the Japanese yakuza and then he also keeps talking about wanting to go back to Japan/Tokyo during the rest of the movies. Surely you can see why people would assume he's a Japanese character in the movie. Virtually nothing implies he's Korean.

 

[TheKaeptain]

I'm not complaining in this case, means we got Vin Diesel in the racial draft.

His dad was half that counts.

The character is Japanese, the actor who plays him is Korean, and even if Han Seoul-Oh is a Korean name, nothing in the movies ever implied he's Korean, all we see is home live in Tokyo at the start, be one of the main guys involved in underground racing, working with the Japanese yakuza and then he also keeps talking about wanting to go back to Japan/Tokyo during the rest of the movies. Surely you can see why people would assume he's a Japanese character in the movie. Virtually nothing implies he's Korean.

Han's a Korean dude from LA.

 

[JDSN]

Still trying to work out why the OP mentions Empire.

F&F features an multi national ensemble cast aimed at making money from an international Box office..
Empire is a niche show with a mainly black cast that isn't shown outside N.America.

How the two relate...i don't know.

Empire is gonna premier soon in Latin America.

 

[gutter_trash]

while I am happy about the movie, OP's article is kind of retarded when it differentiates Hispanics and Whites as separates groups in racial terms

everyone knows that the term Hispanic is an over-generality and a lazy one at that

 

[Sickboy007]

His dad was half that counts.

Yup. Next stop: Giancarlo Esposito

 

[cutmeamango]

Hispanics: not white when it 'matters'.