Netta Ulaby

Netta Ulibi, NPR News.

Many of the biggest movies over the past few months brought in men and women in roughly equal numbers.

For example, Avatar, Fire and Ash.

Or they were movies for kids, like Zootopia 2.

But a lot of movies targeting men this season were bombs, like The Smashing Machine, The Running Man, and Him.

What did much better?

Wicked for Good.

Haven't you heard?

I'm the Wicked Witch of the West.

With an audience that's been about 70% female.

Other successful films over the past few months with a largely female audience include The Last Downton Abbey movie, the romantic drama Regretting You, and the Taylor Swift film promoting her album The Life of a Showgirl.

Netta Ulipi, NPR News.

The nail artist Vivian Zu-Rehi promotes the National Basketball Association on her social media feed.

She shows off hand-painted portraits of players that are literally thumbnail-sized.

Major League sports have noticed what's been called the Taylor Swift effect in bringing female fans to football.

Now the NBA is courting female fans with other online collaborations, including with a popular rug maker and a food artist who uses fried rice as her medium.

Netta Ulipi, NPR News.

Home Alone takes place over Christmas.

It's about a little boy left behind when his family goes on vacation.

It's been the most watched holiday movie every December since 2021, except for last year when the prime video movie Red One took the top spot.