# What is the most successful horror box office with a non-white female lead? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312 "2018-10-22T01:30:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/1 "2018-10-22T01:30:42Z")
It seems like there’s a real dearth of non-white Final Girls in horror. Where could I find a list of the most profitable horror movies with a non-white lead? ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/2 "2018-10-22T02:26:11Z")
**Moderator Action** Moving to Cafe Society (from GQ). ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/3 "2018-10-22T02:45:52Z")
It took me some searching just to find some non-white final girls / horror leads. I finally found a site that listed these: Halle Berry in Gothika Naomie Harris in 28 Days Later Carol Speed in Abby Sanaa Lathan in Alien vs Predator Jada Pinkett Smith in Demon Knight Brandy in I Still Know What You Did Last Summer From here: > **[Yes, there are Black 'Final Girls' in Horror Films](http://southern4life.blogspot.com/2013/10/yes-there-are-black-final-girls-in.html)** > > It doesn't happen very often, but there has been some Black Women who were either the lead or the Final Girl. Let's take a look after t... ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/4 "2018-10-22T02:54:03Z")
Would Brandy really be considered _THE_ lead or Jennifer Love Hewitt, I mean look at her placement on the poster or are we talking about any lead character? ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/5 "2018-10-22T02:55:47Z")
By the way I like your avatar, I was watching short circuit with my son recently, and he was asking if that was Wall-E’s dad in the movie! ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/6 "2018-10-22T03:28:26Z")
When you say non-white you also need to consider foreign–but I have no idea what the situation is with horror movies in countries like China and Japan…–let alone female leads for these. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/7 "2018-10-22T04:18:58Z")
> [@PastTense](#): > > When you say non-white you also need to consider foreign–but I have no idea what the situation is with horror movies in countries like China and Japan…–let alone female leads for these. The leads in Japanese horror films are not generally white, I will confirm. It looks like the leads are about 50/50 male/female at a quick glance. Though that’s looking at English Wikipedia. I’m not sure if that would remain true looking at the Japanese box office (probably it would, but I haven’t confirmed). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/8 "2018-10-22T05:48:55Z")
Lucy Liu was the lead in _[Rise: Blood Hunter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise:_Blood_Hunter)_ (2007). ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/9 "2018-10-22T06:09:34Z")
There’s N’Bushe Wright, in the first Blade movie; although I’m not sure any of the examples so far count as ‘final girl’. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/10 "2018-10-22T06:45:46Z")
In recent -equivalent box office, how did 1974’s _Black Christmas_ do? Olivia Hussey was the lead in that… Although “non-white” is hard to qualify for South Americans… Jennifer Tilly was (arguably) the female lead of \*Bride of Chucky \* and some other _Child’s Play_ films. Not a Final Girl, but much more the lead. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/11 "2018-10-22T06:51:12Z")
So I googled the list for the highest grossing horror movies, and it got me to [this imdb list](https://www.imdb.com/search/title?genres=horror&sort=boxoffice_gross_us,desc). Weirdly depressing list, too. I mean, I Am Legend is number 2? Christ. Anyway, according to this, the highest grossing horror genre movie with a poc female main character is… Number 41: Paul W. Anderson’s [Alien vs. Predator](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370263/?ref_=adv_li_tt), starring [Sanaa Lathan](Sanaa Lathan). Now, me, personally, I’d consider A.vs.P. an action movie (and a mediocre one at that,) so if you want the one who clearly falls into the horror genre, that one is- Tyler Perry playing Madea in Boo! A Madea Halloween. No, seriously, it’s number 87, Halle Berry in [Gothika](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0348836/?ref_=adv_li_tt). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/12 "2018-10-22T12:08:21Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#): > > Anyway, according to this, the highest grossing horror genre movie with a poc female main character is… > > Number 41: Paul W. Anderson’s [Alien vs. Predator](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370263/?ref_=adv_li_tt), starring [Sanaa Lathan](Sanaa Lathan). By “main character”, you must mean “the first person billed”, right? Looks like it. Higher than #20, but only second-billed: Phoebe Cates from _Gremlins_ is a PoC. so’s Li Bingbing from _The Meg_. Anya Taylor-Joy from _Split_ is partly Argentinian, which, like I said with Olivia Hussey, is uncertain for many people. Same goes for Cuban Eva Mendes in\* Ghost Rider\*. ---
**Author:** ![Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b2d939/32.png) [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/13 "2018-10-22T13:01:51Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > By “main character”, you must mean “the first person billed”, right? Looks like it. > Higher than #20, but only second-billed: > Phoebe Cates from _Gremlins_ is a PoC. so’s Li Bingbing from _The Meg_. Anya Taylor-Joy from _Split_ is partly Argentinian, which, like I said with Olivia Hussey, is uncertain for many people. Same goes for Cuban Eva Mendes in\* Ghost Rider\*. Honestly, I meant it in the sense of protagonist, or as per OP, the Last Girl. If you want to count Hispanics, I’d say that Jennifer Lopez in Anaconda and The Cell would make the list before any of the ones you mentioned. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/14 "2018-10-22T13:32:55Z")
I think the answer you’re looking for is ‘Get Out’. Made $225MM worldwide on a $4.5MM budget. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/15 "2018-10-22T13:42:27Z")
Who was the non-white female lead in “Get Out”? ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/16 "2018-10-22T13:44:33Z")
Maybe I misunderstood the question. I was reading it ‘non-white female’ lead, in that the trope is ‘final girl’ and we should exclude any with a lead that is ‘non-white female’. That would allow for PoC in both genders. But I’m easygoing either way. Get Out is still the best of the bunch. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/17 "2018-10-22T13:59:01Z")
> [@](#): > > If you want to count Hispanics, I’d say that Jennifer Lopez in Anaconda and The Cell would make the list before any of the ones you mentioned. 84 and 71, respectively, though. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/18 "2018-10-22T14:00:43Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Maybe I misunderstood the question. I think you did. The OP seems to be looking for examples who are nonwhite AND female. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/19 "2018-10-22T20:38:53Z")
I am indeed. I read that Jamie Lee Curtis’s Halloween is breaking box office records as the highest grossing with a female lead and I wondered which most successful one had a POC lead. And hang on, Phoebe Cates is a POC? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312/20 "2018-10-22T20:54:38Z")
> [@Love\_Rhombus](#): > > Phoebe Cates is a POC? Chinese, Filipino, and Russian-Jewish heritage. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-most-successful-horror-box-office-with-a-non-white-female-lead/823312.md?page=2)