SpyВ is one of my favorite movies of the year. SpyВ was an overseas powerhouse, proving yet again that even a mid-range female-led genre hit can score outside of America as well. But it's still a big hit, and its success outside of America is arguably more important over the long run versus a more conventional performance in terms ofВ female-led films. Will we see more splits like The Other WomanВ and FrozenВ where overseas box office exceeds domestic box office? Will, for example, Paul Feig's GhostbustersВ score the conventional worldwide blockbuster 40/60 split towards overseas box office for Sony? Can Amy Schumer's TrainwreckВ approach its likely $110m domestic total overseas as well for Universal/Comcast Corp? SpyВ wasn't quite as big of a smash hit in America as I hoped it would be. Anyway, as we do in-fact start to see more female-led genre entertainments finally seeping into the mainstream four years after BridesmaidsВ and three years after The Hunger Games, the split between domestic and overseas will be something to watch. But there are, over the last few years,В more than enough exceptions to question that perception. Moreover, the perception exists (and this is the case for minority-led films as well) that they make the majority of their money in America. Part of the reason that female-centric movies tend to get written off even in 2015 is that the conventional wisdom exists that they don't make nearly as much overseas as their male-centric counterparts. Walt Disney' s CinderellaВ and Tomorrowland, presumably Hunger Games: Mockingjay part IIВ this November,В etc.) that earned noticeably more overseas than they did in America. Looking over the 2015 calendar year thus far, there were a number of female-centric movies ( Fifty Shades of Grey, Divergent Series: Insurgent, Heck, SpyВ earned more overseas than Pitch Perfect 2В ($183m US/$98m overseas). That's more in terms of overseas grosses than not just The Heat, but also IdentityВ ThiefВ ($134m domestic/$39.5m overseas) and BridesmaidsВ ($169m/$119m). So yeah, it matters a little that Melissa McCarthy's action comedy didn't just make $108m in America (which to be fair is a little softer than I expected) but soared above that number to nabb $122m (and counting) overseas.

That's somewhat of a stereotype, and it's true just often enough to be taken for granted. Now that's still $229m on a $41m budget, but it was another case of a popular female-centric genre project doing better in America than it did overseas. This is McCarthy's victory, and it matters to at least a certain extent because of how well it is doing outside of America.ДЇox pushed Paul Feig's The HeatВ to $159В millionВ domestic off a $39m debut weekend back in 2013, but the overseas numbers for the Sandra Bullock/Melissa McCarthy action comedy was a 'mere' $70m. No matter how terrific they are in the film (and really the whole cast is absolutely aces), their worth as 'by themselves' movie stars is minimal compared to McCarthy. They helped, as they have provided genuineВ added value to ensemble films in the past. So it's quite possible that the would-be credit for Spy's worldwide bounty is merely a matter of Fox's marketing gurus, and frankly marketing people should never be discounted when a movie does well.Д«ut SpyВ still qualifies as a little different precisely because it does in-fact feature a female lead.В By the way, if you want to argue that the overseas success of SpyВ is due to Jason Statham and Jude Law, I would (with all due respect) invite you to look at their overseas numbers for their starring vehicles. Popper's Penguins, In Time, or The Counselor.В And that's not even counting the solid domestic hits that became insane mega-hits overseas (think Kingsman: The Secret Service and Life of Pi). Their 2009-2015 slate is riddled with would-be domestic flops that soared overseas.

I don't just mean that they get preordained blockbusters to hit in big outside of America, but rather that they can market and distribute nearly anything to solid overseas numbers. I talk quite a bit about how 20th CenturyДЇox has a certain knack for overseas box office magic.

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