With The Hunger Games: Catching Fire coming in a week and Divergent following in March, Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF-A) is betting hundreds of millions that strong female leads can deliver as big (or bigger!) at the box office as their male counterparts. Can girl power pay?
Fool analysts Tim Beyers and Nathan Alderman say they like the strategy in the pilot episode of Geekstock, The Motley Fool's new web show, in which we talk about the big-money names behind your favorite movies, toys, video games, comics, and more.
Nathan says if the Divergent trailer (found here) is reflective of the entire film, then it should resonate with young girls who long for not just a good love story but also strong cinematic role models. The Hunger Games captured that same dynamic and earned almost $700 million at the worldwide box office as a result.
Tim expects the sequel to be at least as successful while acknowledging that the stakes are higher: Catching Fire boasts a $130 million production budget versus just $78 million for the first film. Tim also points to the success of the CW, Time Warner's (TWX) young adult-oriented TV network, as proof that there's always a market for teenage angst.
Do you agree? Are you planning on seeing Catching Fire and Divergent? Are you watching The Originals and any of the other new CW dramas? Please watch the video as host Alison Southwick puts Tim and Nathan on the spot, and be sure to check back here often for more Geekstock segments.
