A movie producer recently shared something in an interview that was both funny and extremely sad. He said the most bankable black woman in Hollywood is a black man in drag. And over-the-hill comedian Billy Crystal reminded everyone at the Academy Awards of this same fact.
But the numbers don’t lie. Black men in drag have long been a ratings bonanza and recipe for movie blockbusters in the past. Several films centered around black men in drag have grossed more than $100 million domestically and some even approached $200 million worldwide gross.
But here’s the sobering statistic: in a report by rolling out editor Amir Shaw, there are dozens upon dozens of quality black films languishing away on studio shelves with little hope of ever being released on DVD, much less being distributed on the big screens nationwide. Many of those movies star black females. So what does that say about the state of urban moviemaking when so many movies by black men dressed as black stereotypical women are released? Is this just good business and funny comedies or the continual emasculation of the black man? We’ll let you decide.
Click below to see the most popular black men in drag:
