It speaks volumes about where the superhero genre was at the time that Halle Berry’s Catwoman – despite being instantly labeled as one of the worst comic book adaptations of all-time, a title it still deservedly holds today – ranked as the highest-grossing costumed caper with a female lead character for almost a decade in a half.
What makes it even more galling is that the infamous disaster was a craterous box office bomb that could only bring in $82 million from theaters on a $100 million budget, before going to find some degree of ironic success at the Razzies, where it scooped four trophies from seven nominations, with the graciously self-deprecating Berry showing up in person to collect her prize.
In the years since, Berry has apologized for Catwoman more than once, and even raised an online eyebrow at the fact it was being reappraised as a camp cult favorite. Why did she star in it, then? According to the Academy Award winner, it’s hard to say no to a $15 million paycheck, which is completely understandable.
Incredibly, it wasn’t until Patty Jenkins and Gal Gadot brought Wonder Woman to the multiplex that a female-driven superhero story out-performed Catwoman on the commercial front, with Jennifer Garner’s Elektra faring equally miserably in the meantime. It’s still an affront to the good name of cinema, but one that’s in danger of becoming a streaming smash hit.
Per FlixPatrol, Catwoman has purred its way onto Netflix worldwide watch-list, in what could easily be construed as another sign of the impending apocalypse.