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In May 2008 Hollywood experts were shocked when ultimate Chick Flick "Sex and the City" dethroned geekboy favorite "Indiana Jones" at the box office. It went against all Hollywood formulas for a blockbuster hit. There were no explosions, there were no half dressed sexy 20-somethings, there were no big box office mega stars. In fact, that it was geared to women, typically the "TV-set", and starred four women who dared to sex it up past 40 in ageist Hollywood flouted any formula for a summer blockbuster. Variety was quick to report this strange phenomenon that, I'm sure, left many a male exec and screenwriter scratching their heads.

A romantic comedy bringing in 55 million dollars, the highest grossing R-rated comedy to date?

Just how did they do it?

In a word... r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

Writer/director Michael Patrick King, whose Emmy wins came from the hugely popular television series of the same name, brings his obvious love for the characters to the big screen in an outrageous and unapologetic way. He sets perennial single girl Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) on an unexpected road to marital bliss with her "Mr. Big" (Chris Noth). And though she'd spent twenty years developing her single, sexy, independent image, she falls for all the nuptial trappings that end up giving on again, off again Mr. Big cold feet the size of icebergs. It quickly threatens to sink her "Love Boat".

Her disenchantment of "Happily Ever After" is shared by the chilly analytical Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), whose husband commits what she feels an unpardonable sin in response to the cold front she brings into her own marriage.

Even perpetual sex kitten Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) has her own set of problems out on the opposite coast. She's got a hot boyfriend who is crazy in love with her; but she makes the disheartening discovery that loving someone else doesn't quite leave her enough time to love herself. Add to that super hot, willing to get naked neighbor Dante (Gilles Marini), and it's almost too much temptation for Samantha to bear.

In fact the only one of the four who seems to be happy and adjusted in her love life is Charlotte (Kristin Davis), who, even though she has a major life development of her own, gets delegated to the back burner to the travails of love experienced by her dear friends.

Their love for each other and chemistry together help genuinely invest the audience, even those who never caught the television series. That particular demographic would include me. Though my best friend is a total fan, I never watched the HBO series that made these characters so memorable. However, thanks to the inventive way the writer/director got us up to speed in the opening sequence, I never felt like I was on the outside looking in.

That respect for the new viewers impressed me most.

And it is that accessibility that I feel lent to the popularity of the big screen production. It's one thing to have a built in fan base, as this movie obviously did, but to be able to capture a whole new audience was the real trick. It made this "date" movie a little bit more than just your typical RomCom.

Not to mention there were several juicy, graphic sex scenes sure to appease all the guys in the audience drug there by their girlfriends.

So why did "Sex" beat "Indy" at the box office?

Sure it had a built in audience. Sure it had plenty of the Three F's - Friends, Fashion, and Fun. Sure it had a little bit of everything for everybody, straight men included.

But the real reason the audience ditched fan favorite Indy for Sex was the filmmakers' desire to give the audience what they were looking for... simply because they respected the audience themselves.

Let that be a lesson to male dominated Hollywood.

Long live the Queens.

Learn more about this author, Ginger Voight.
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