Why Girls’ Night Out Movies Like ‘Girls Trip’ Matter So Much To Female Viewers

Next week finds the release of Girls Trip in theaters, and if you don’t have your tickets yet, you better fire off a message to your group text, because you’re a bit behind schedule. Girls Trip is certainly not the first or last movie designed to get women to flock to movie theaters in a group, but even despite the fact that Tom Hardy and Harry Styles will be on a screen down the hall in Dunkirk, it’s Girls Trip that could win big at the box office.

Just as important as it is for Marvel to have a new offering every few months, having a female friendly flick ready to go has become a necessity for movie studios. They aren’t simply movies, they are events. There’s no fancy CGI or 3D glasses necessary, just raw storytelling that will reel in the dollars — which is great news for the studios that often spend a minimal amount to get these movies made.

But for the women attending, it’s much more than just watching pretty actresses run around for a couple hours. It’s a freedom, a fantasy, and a fulfilling night with friends. From a sexy drama like 50 Shades of Grey to a relatable romp like Bad Moms, women mark these films’ release dates on the calendars, right next to the baby showers and weddings that so quickly take up their free time, especially in the summer months. While the movie’s got to be appealing, it’s almost more importantly a night out, away from the office, the kids, and the other boring, everyday distractions of life, to reconnect with your girls. There will be drinks, there will be laughs, and there will be a damn fun time. It’s not only a way for everyone to reconnect, but instead of all the shine going on one woman during a major milestone like a wedding or shower or bachelorette, a girls’ night out to the movie celebrates everyone.

Why a movie like Girls Trip or even the original kick off to this recent “phenomenon” Bridesmaids works so well is a) in the numbers. Just like a family film, that’s 3-4 tickets purchased for one group, and for a girls’ night out movie, well, a group of high school friends, college friends, or even co-workers could take up an entire movie theater row all by themselves. It’s also b) in the content. Women want to see their stories reflected right back at them, in a humorous way. How many of us haven’t had to deal with a nightmare Maid of Honor or a judgy mom? They speak to our life experiences, and not so much in a way that is predictable or limiting; we want to know we’re not alone, and to tell those stories in a silly way makes them feel all the more tolerable.

And it’s not enough to just see a total judgmental bitch on screen. We need to see her go down. Ok, maybe not down, but definitely see karma come around and give her what she deserves, usually courtesy of our main characters. In this way, a girls night out movie is the equivalent of a superhero film: it’s an escape, and we love seeing the women we root for and relate to save the day by succeeding at work, balancing their schedule, and overcoming the meanie in their way.

Oh, and that’s not the only fantasy we want to play out on screen, as many of these films frequently (and wisely) include a super sexy dude, the kind of dude that respectfully pursues a woman and has the type of abs we’ve never seen before with our own eyes. Exhibit A: Channing Tatum, a dream man who knew putting himself and a few hunky friends in thongs would earn them millions at the box office not once, but twice in the Magic Mike movies. Psst: we like to see sex on screen too! And while it’s always fun to see female fantasies play out on screen, a lot of that has to do with the current company you’re keeping as well. Because a girls’ night crew is comprised of the women you feel comfortable talking about sex with. You’re not afraid to fan yourself off when Christian Grey drops a towel, and engage in post-movie convos about sex positions and vibrators and male bodies, and on the same yet much unsexier token, the bodily functions we all experience yet are shamed into not discussing in fear of being unladylike. These days, sex conversations with friends are often tinged with a political edge, from Planned Parenthood debates to workplace harassment issues. Being able to ogle a hot man body or a sexy kiss and share that excitement with your gal pals is priceless.

Now, most women don’t get to run around like a horny hot mess every day (although shoutout to the ones that do!), so being able to live vicariously through a funny female film is a relief, in a way, and not the same kind we’ve been so used to seeing in romantic comedies. There are women who don’t feel as though they’re able to identify with those stories, and the last decade has mostly seen them led by Judd Apatow in the Knocked Ups of the world. Some rom-coms ask you to suspend your disbelief a bit more, but watching a group of women get together to wreck havoc? It feels more accessible because you’re sitting there together at that moment…hopefully not doing the havoc part, but the having fun part, for sure. Even as star (and scene-stealer) of Bad Moms, Kathryn Hahn recently told Vulture, “Bad Moms is a ball! It is exciting to see that do well; it’s buoying and validating. There’s a huge audience out there dying for that kind of a catharsis for sure.”

Women love having something to look forward to, and the second a trailer is released for a film that knows how to make them feel understood, they put spreadsheets and breastfeeding aside to round up their gals, the ones that they can go years without seeing and yet everything feels the same, and they make a night of it. To watch something that feels like it’s been spying on your life (and dreams) and can still make you laugh, while surrounded by the people that don’t judge you feels like a vacation in itself. It might just be a night at the cinemas, but as long as studios keep making these films, we’ll keep making it a girls trip.

Where to watch Bad Moms