overall" $40" million," whereas" White/ House/ Down," the" malecdominated" action"thriller"opening"the"same"weekend,"opened"to"a"mere"$25.7"million" (McLintock)." " The" concept" of" audience" preference," although" flawed," interacts"with"the"studio"system"in"another"dimension:"the"international" market." " Since" the" advent" of" various" consumer" loopholes," namely" internet" piracy," studios" have" faced" the" realization" that" DVD" sales" no" longer" dictate" 50" percent" of" revenue;" rather," the" international" market" accounts" for" one" of" the" largest" fractions" of" revenue" (“Casting" Call”)."" Therefore," studio" heads" remain" conservative" in" what" they" choose" to" produce"and"distribute:"action"movies"and"thrillers"perform"dutifully"at" international"box"offices.""Not"only"does"there"exist"less"demand"for"the" financing"and"distribution"of"comedies,"but"the"representation"of"women" as"a"whole"in"largercbudget"pictures"is"unimpressive.""However,"this"part" of"the"argument"proves"irrelevant"in"the"discussion"of"women’s"comedic" aptitude:"if"fewer"comedies"are"produced"for"worldwide"audiences,"then" the" domestic" market" acts" as" an" arena" more" suited" for" comedy," and" therefore" opens" up" the" opportunity" for" an" audience" more" familiar" and" acquainted"with"the"play"of"gender"roles"often"found"in"such"a"genre."/ One" of" the" most" popular" arguments" for" why" women" lack" comedy" is" that" they" simply" are" not" built" for" it." " With" our" cultural" perceptions" of" gender" roles," women" are" not" always" granted" the" opportunity" to" showcase" their" wit." Stereotypically," women" are" considered"the"physically"weaker"sex,"and"therefore"men"have"evolved"to" “take" care" of”" and" “protect" them.”" " Femininity" is" sacred" and" not" to" be" preyed" upon," and" if" under" attack," the" instinctual" reaction" is" to" jump" in" and"protect."Perhaps"the"most"infamous"case"of"men"outright"stating"that" women" are" incapable" of" humor" comes" from" a" Rolling/ Stone" interview" with"late"night"legend"Johnny"Carson,"in"which"he"stated:/ A"woman"is"feminine,"a"woman"is"not"abrasive,"a"woman"is"not"a" hustler.""So"when"you"see"a"gal"who"does"“standcup”"onecliners," she" has" to" overcome" that" builtcin" identification" as" a" retiring," meek" woman." " I" mean," if" a" woman" comes" out" and" starts" firing" onecliners," those" little" abrasive" things," you" can" take" that" from" a" man.""The"ones"that"try"sometimes"are"a"little"aggressive"for"my" taste.""I’ll"take"it"from"a"guy,"but"from"women,"sometimes,"it"just" doesn’t"fit"too"well"(Knoedelseder"78)./
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