With “Girls Trip” a certified hit — it just passed $116 million at the global box office — of course there’s talk of a sequel.
The film stars Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Regina Hall, and Tiffany Haddish as four friends traveling to the Essence Festival. It significantly outgrossed another R-rated comedy about female friends on a bender, “Rough Night” starring Scarlett Johansson, which took in only $45 million in total box office.
Producer Will Packer talked to Vulture about the film’s success, saying, “It’s been a really, really tough year for studio comedies, for theatrical comedies in general. To have one that came on the heels of a lot of high-profile ones that didn’t work, one that actually connected and resonated with an audience, it feels good.”
He also surmised why it was such a hit: “It was about these women just being authentically and organically themselves. That’s what we need. I’ve seen this movie before with white men. I’ve seen versions of this movie with white women. But we haven’t seen it with women of color. And so as a producer, part of my job is to find those types of opportunities, and to create content in spaces and with themes that we haven’t seen.”
So yes, they’re “definitely” talking about a sequel, Packer told Vulture, although he noted, “The only thing harder than opening a studio comedy today is opening a studio comedy sequel. That’s the next challenge. I love our team. If anybody can do it, we can do it.”
He’s also hopeful that — along with “Get Out” — it’s removed the perception in Hollywood that movies with black leads don’t make money. “I think it definitely opens the door for somebody else to come in and say, “Well, it’s in the vein of ‘Girls Trip,'” or ‘It’s got the tone of a ”Girls Trip,'” he told Vulture.” That’s how our town works, and so this definitely opens the door for other projects that have similar elements to get a green light, where they perhaps wouldn’t have before, because there was no model of success to point to. I’m optimistic about that.”
Source: Moviefone