Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids was written by Annie Mumalo and star of the film Kristen Wiig and had a star studded cast which included Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne. Budgeted at $32.5 million, the film was made primarily in Los Angeles, California, despite the movie being set in both Milwaukee and Chicago.
The film opened to critical acclaim, the website Rotten Tomatoes stating that the film was “A marriage of genuine characters, gross out gags, and pathos, Bridesmaids is a female-driven comedy that refuses to be boxed in as Kristen Wiig emerges as a real star.”
The movie grossed in excess of $26 million on its first weekend and would eventually make $169 million in the US and $288 million globally. However it wasn’t just a success at the box office, as the awards season saw Bridesmaids make a big impact. It was nominated for two academy awards (Melissa McCarthy for best supporting actress and best Original Screenplay) as well as for a golden globe for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Any movie which has been so successful is bound to attract talk of a sequel and Bridesmaids is no different, with rumours abound in 2012 that Universal were interested in making a sequel. However this was dispelled in 2014 when Kristen Wiig appeared on the Ellen show, stating that she thought the first film ended fine as it was and that no sequel was needed.