Why bother making "chick flicks"? Aren't they a waste of money from a business point of view?

Stuff like "Maid in Manhattan" or "Elizabethtown" or "The Notebook" etc...when the potential audience is half of what a regular movie would be. Men won't go see "chick flicks" unless dragged along. Women will go see all types of movies. I don't see how "chick flicks" make money. They seem like a waste of time from a business standpoint.