Elizabeth Banks says she's 'proud' of 'Charlie's Angels' even if it did 'flop'
Elizabeth Banks' "Charlie's Angels" reboot may not have been a hit with critics or at the box office, but the director is still pleased with her film.
On Monday, after the movie's opening weekend, Banks took to Twitter to express her sentiments.
"Well, if you’re going to have a flop, make sure your name is on it at least 4x," Banks tweeted, showing her sense of humor. "I’m proud of #CharliesAngels and happy it’s in the world."
Banks directed, produced, starred in and co-wrote the screenplay for the "Charlie's Angels" reboot.
The movie, which received a score of 58% on Rotten Tomatoes, opened below expectations with $8.6 million domestically and $19.3 million overseas, according to studio estimates Sunday. Though the movie was relatively modestly budgeted at $48 million, it fell well short of the $40.1 million debut of the 2000’s “Charlie’s Angels,” with Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. (The 2003 sequel opened similarly with $37.6 million.)
Box office results: Matt Damon, Christian Bale's ‘Ford v Ferrari’ zooms to No. 1; ‘Charlie’s Angels' crumbles
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Banks responded to criticism that the reboot was unnecessary.
"You’ve had 37 Spider-Man movies and you’re not complaining!” Banks said. “I think women are allowed to have one or two action franchises every 17 years — I feel totally fine with that."
The reboot, which stars Kristen Stewart (as Sabina), Naomi Scott (Elena) and Ella Balinska (Jane), gave the angels a millennial makeover, making their clothes more practical and the women more "relatable."
Sure, the new Angels rock sequined rompers and glamorous dresses when they're undercover at parties. But when it's time to fight, there's no need for low-cut bodysuits and heels: The trio change into athletic outfits with elbow pads and sneakers.
"All of our clothes that we wear are pretty practical," Balinska said, including the time her character dons bulletproof body armor in preparation for combat.
"We wanted the clothing to be more reality-based," Banks told USA TODAY. "They had to have padding and things that keep them safe, and we didn't try to hide that stuff in the movie. If you're going to fight, you want to have advantages."
In the '70s, Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith knew they were both women on a mission and viewer eye candy. In the early aughts reboots, Cameron Diaz and the gang cheekily played up both their adorability and grit. This time, though, the stars seem a little more like women you might know, complete with struggles, quirks and flaws. They also speak like millennials, with Stewart's character making jokes about "swiping right" and being "extra."
"One of my goals was to make the women, these Angels, a little more relatable," Banks said, noting the women in the original series were trained police officers, not superheroes. "It was a quiet celebration of everyday heroics."
Contributing Carly Mallenbaum and Jake Coyle, the Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Charlie's Angels' Elizabeth Banks reacts to film's flop: I'm proud