Silverstein uses new data from Martha Lauzen, the director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, who discovered that, "overall, when women and men filmmakers have similar budgets for their films, the resulting box office grosses are also similar…It comes down to the size of the budget. If you give men and women similar budgets they will make similar grosses." But, as Silverstein notes:

Films with female protagonists or prominent women in an ensemble have lower production budgets (by almost $30 million). It doesn’t take an economist to understand that it costs more to blow things up than it costs to have people talking, and women have a tendency to actually have conversations in films. Though the center couldn’t obtain them, marketing budgets, which tend to follow production budgets, are probably lower for these films. So they make less money, which in turn fuels the impression that women's films are not successful.

Silverstein is still waiting for Hollywood's light bulb moment when it comes to women in film, because as Lauzen says, "W're dealing with perceptions and it can be really hard to change those perceptions even when you have quantitative, hard evidence that the belief is incorrect." 2008 has been a banner year for female-led movies, as both Mamma Mia! and Sex and the City made a ton of cash. Will the studios end up considering these movies lucky accidents or will they finally start changing their bad attitudes?

Women’s Films: A New Box Office Trend? [Women's Media Center]
"Cordial", "Charming" Studio Chief Explains Why Women Can't Sell Movies (Except Julia Roberts)

Tina Fey (30 Rock), Glenn Close (Damages), America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Julia Louis-Dreyfus (The New Adventures of Old Christine), Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Mariska Hargitay (Law and Order: SVU), Kyra Sedgewick (The Closer), Minnie Driver (The Riches), Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men) and Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love): these were the women who were nominated for Emmys, by-in-large playing strong, capable, well-written roles. And what's more, most of these women are, gasp, over 35.

Are there so many more available roles for women of a certain age on TV because producing a television show is that much cheaper? Are aging bodies less obvious on the small screen, and so they're more acceptable? Are Hollywood honchos just stuck believing that women don't see movies, or that men don't want to see movies with anything but eye candy? It's probably a combination of all of the above, and even though those televised, meaty roles are something to be proud of, there is not a single black actress on the short list for Best Actress Emmy (there are two Latinas: Ferrera and Eva Longoria-Parker).

I know I've said this so many times before, but there is something concrete we can do to help: go see movies made by women, or made with women in respectable roles. I'd tell you to go see something specific this weekend, but the only recent release with a plucky female protagonist is Kit Kittredge, and if you're not a Jezemom, I'm guessing that holds limited interest for you. Sigh. We clearly have a long way to go.

Warner Brothers Decides To Embrace The Women [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
Why Won't Warner Embrace The Women? [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
Warner's Robinov Bitchslaps Film Women [Deadline Hollywood Daily]
Sarah Silverman Lands In The Top 10 List Of Emmy semifinalists For Best Comedy Actress! [Gold Derby LAT]
Looks like Mary McDonnell Of 'Battlestar Galactica' And Elisabeth Moss Of 'Mad Men' Are On The Emmy Top 10 List [Gold Derby LAT]

Earlier: Ultimate Chick Flick The Women Is Finally About To See The Silver Screen

Sources inside Warner's tell me that, 1) Robinov doesn't believe there's an actress who can carry a movie worldwide since Julia Roberts, 2) Robinov has now gone so far as admitting to his studio colleagues that the decree I reported was made when he was "in the room", 2) Robinov is acknowledging that the studio is reassessing the strategy of making action pictures starring women, 3) Robinov was inundated with calls on Monday and Tuesday from media and Hollywood types asking him about my posting, 4) Robinov has three pics currently in production and six in pre-production and not one stars a women as the main lead of the film, and 5) he's nixed Wonder Woman as a stand-alone film, downgrading her to just one of four superhero characters in the proposed Justice League. Again, I stand by my story.

The Reality Behind Jeff Robinov's "Denial" [Nikki Finke]