‘It’s sexist’: Women-only ‘Wonder Woman’ screenings have men angry
A popular Texas movie theater that doesn’t shy from controversy decided to turn a screening of the new “Wonder Woman” movie into a jampacked celebration with a single rule:
“No boys allowed.” “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,” Austin movie theater chain Alamo Drafthouse announced recently about the Tuesday showing. “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,” added the announcement, which has been shared on Facebook more than 1,500 times.
The promotion worked and the screening sold out in a little over two hours, according to the Drafthouse, with female fans rushing to buy tickets to the first comic bookinspired film to star a woman since Jennifer Garner in 2005’s “Elektra.”
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.”
“Very tacky Alamo,” Facebook user Allan Dale wrote. “I’m all for equality and having a screening specifically stating it is not inclusive to everyone, is against equality. I’m not saying Alamo did this intentionally, but it is still just wrong.”
“It’s sexist and bigoted,” Evan Johnson commented, receiving nearly 40 reactions, more than half of which appeared to be laughing at Johnson’s comment.
“If women are entitled to exclusivity and a sense of togetherness, then so are men,” Greg Martin added. “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.”
The commenters drew their own critics.
“Came here to see fragile masculinity and whining, was not disappointed at all,” Isaac Shazbaz Boyles wrote. “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’s official Facebook account responded to some of the male critics, echoing the swarm of movie fans who descended on the page to defend the gender-specific screening.