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Movie’s Gender-Exclusive Screenings Cause a Ruckus Online

May 26, 2017  •  Post A Comment

A movie opening next week that is expected to be one of the summer’s blockbusters is at the center of an Internet frenzy after a theater in Texas announced that it will hold screenings exclusively for women.

The theater chain Alamo Drafthouse in Austin announced plans for a screening of Warner Bros.’ new Gal Gadot movie “Wonder Woman” on June 6, sending out a message saying: “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 ‘People Who Identify As Women Only,’ we mean it. Everyone working at this screening — venue staff, projectionist, and culinary team — will be female.”

The announcement adds: “So lasso your geeky girlfriends together and grab your tickets to this celebration of one of the most enduring and inspiring characters ever created.” The theater later added a second screening.

The Washington Post reports that the announcement has been shared on Facebook more than 1,500 times, and not all of the attention has been positive.

“The screening drew praise from some men, but it also provoked an outpouring of anger from others who flooded the theater’s Facebook page to label the event ‘sexist,'” The Post reports.

One Facebook user wrote: “If women are entitled to exclusivity and a sense of togetherness, then so are men. If you don’t provide the experience people are looking for, others will, and frankly, with that attitude, I’m glad you’re not going to be the ones making that money.”

But many commenters defended the screenings, while others mocked those who were up in arms about them. Wrote one user: “Came here to see fragile masculinity and whining, was not disappointed at all. Hey Alamo can you do more of these sorts of things? I like laughing at men who are threatened by women getting to have their own lives without constant male presence 24/7.”

The theater added its own voice to the debate, writing: “This has zip to do with equality. This is a celebration of a character that’s meant a great deal to many women since 1940.”

The movie opens June 2.

5 Comments

  1. Can you imagine the feminist outrage had some theater chain held a male-exclusive showing of Man of Steel. In all likelihood, those chortling over the supposed “outrage” and “whining” of “threatened”men complaining about the sexist underpinnings of this event… would be indignantly outraged by such an occurrence.

    Then there’s the possibility that this activity by Alamo could violate those equal rights laws that forced many bars to cease ladies night activities. I used to read incredible things about Alamo online. Made me wish they would expand into my state.

    But after the comment they made above, not any more. “This has zip to do with equality”? Funny, that’s exactly what WW has always been promoted as epitomizing. You know… over the decades there’s probably been as many men, as there have been women, who are fans of Wonder Woman.

    Go to hell, Alamo. You deserve to go bankrupt.

  2. Maybe women shouldn’t be de facto second-class citizens. Fraternities are male-only, as sororities are female only. This isn’t really a story, now is it?

  3. The film just got the buzz its producers were hoping for.

  4. This is a joke. It is a simple promotion for a single showing. The US has to just grow up and quit finding a BS excuse to complain about every little thing

  5. Hello teapot? Meet tempest.

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