Internet reacts with predictable restraint to female-only Wonder Woman screening
The first film of the modern superhero era to feature both a female protagonist and a female director, Wonder Woman is a major milestone for the DC cinematic universe. And the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, Texas is celebrating by creating its own mini-Themyscira and hosting a one-night-only “female only” screening of the movie. Birth.Movies.Death, the Alamo’s in-house movie site, has the event description:
The most iconic superheroine in comic book history finally has her own movie, and what better way to celebrate than with an all-female screening?
Apologies, gentlemen, but we’re embracing our girl power and saying “No Guys Allowed” for one special night at the Alamo Ritz. And when we say “Women (and People Who Identify As Women) Only,” we mean it. Everyone working at this screening—venue staff, projectionist, and culinary team—will be female.
So lasso your geeky girlfriends together and grab your tickets to this celebration of one of the most enduring and inspiring characters ever created.
And, as you might have already predicted, the internet reacted to the move with the class, generosity, and empathy for which it is known. The Alamo Drafthouse Facebook post announcing the screening is a particularly good hate-read; it’s the best primer on straw man arguments and false equivalencies you’ll find outside of an intro to logic course, along with some pretty solid snark from commenters and the Alamo Drafthouse social media team.
The first “women only” Wonder Woman screening is already sold out, a second screening in Austin is on the verge of selling out, and creative manager Morgan Hendrix tells Mashable that the company is expanding the screenings to its locations nationwide, with proceeds from ticket sales going to charity in Dallas, Austin, and D.C. So, as crushed as it must be to have #NotAllMen on board (get it?), the Alamo Drafthouse is laughing all the way to its invisible jet on this one.
UPDATE, 5/30/2017: In response to the enormous amount of publicity the screenings have gotten, the Alamo Drafthouse has released the following statement: “Obviously, Alamo Drafthouse recognizes Wonder Woman is a film for all audiences, but our special women-only screenings may have created confusion—we want everybody to see this film.”