It's raining men. That's the weather forecast for moviegoers as a flood of fresh male faces — and buff bods — hits the big screen this year
USA Today covers a variety of reasons why actors who have been around and were not really well known, to total newcomers are going to be making a splash this year as the latest predicted Hollywood heartthrobs. These types are coming in two categories and Twilight, they claim, is part of the reason:
“The ‘Twilight’ factor
The reason for the double standard?
“It’s the two archetypes you see in Twilight,” Dergarabedian suggests. In one corner is brooding vampire Edward and, in the other, burly werewolf Jacob. “It’s probably an attempt to make sure women see these films.”
Not a bad guess. Yes, the target audience of such geek-squad fare remains men 18 to 25, who can almost always be counted on to show up for at least the opening weekend of a comic-book adventure. But as the cost for special-effects and possible 3-D treatment escalates, it isn’t a bad idea to reach beyond the core crowd and add some eye candy for the ladies as well.
Consider that the first three romantic Gothic thrillers based on the hugely popular book series have collected nearly $1.8 billion total in worldwide ticket sales by targeting female ticket buyers.
Meanwhile, barely known actors Robert Pattinson, 24, and Taylor Lautner, 19, turned into overnight sensations. Besides, it is normal for the definition of a movie hunk to go in cycles, says Jeanine Basinger, head of film studies at Wesleyan University.”
Wanted: 'Something prettier'
"Just as hats change, male looks come and go," the historian says, "from rough and tough to pretty and delicate. A lot of it is linked to what adolescent girls like. Often it's the same thing that grown women will like and men will like. Now, we are into the fantastical, which requires something prettier than war stories."
Nor does it surprise her that Twilight is setting the template. "All of a sudden, everyone wants to look like one of these male stars," Basinger says of Pattinson, a Brit whose bloodsucker issues forth a Bryronic air, and Lautner, the all-American beast-next-door who has several high-paying action roles in the works.
See more on USA Today. So ladies which do you prefer, the brooding or the brawn?
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