By Gary Symons
TLL Editor in Chief
Two new studies showed that women achieved gender parity for major US film releases in 2024, the first time that has happened.
One of the studies was Dr. Martha Lauzen’s annual report, It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World Report. It found that out of the 100 top grossing films in 2024, women played the lead in 42% of the films, which is the same percentage as for male leads.
That included major Hollywood blockbusters like Wicked and The Substance, causing Lauzen to say 2024 “offered one of the richest slates of films featuring female protagonists in recent memory.”
The second study was by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, which studies equality and diversity in films with an annual report that is part of an ongoing study. According to Dr. Stacy Smith, who leads the research project, 54% of films in 2024 were either led or co-led by women, an increase from just 30% in 2023.
Smith says part of the reason is due to efforts to increase diversity and equality in film, but another factor is that film studios are finding that women-led films are good for box office returns.
“We have always known that female-identified leads would make money,” said Smith. “This is not the result of an economic awakening, but is due to a number of different constituencies and efforts—at advocacy groups, at studios, through DEI initiatives—to assert the need for equality on screen.”
Diversity Sells, But The Entertainment Industry Still Has a Long Way to Go
Some of the major hits led by women recently include Wicked, Inside Out 2, The Substance, Moana 2, Mean Girls and It Ends with Us.
The Licensing Letter had surveyed multiple studies and reports earlier this year, and found that while there has been an increase in diversity in film, the results were spotty at best.
Smith’s update to her ongoing study likewise found that progress in representation of minorities has been hit and miss, with 2024 showing up as a great year for female actors, but not so good for people of color. While there was a notable increase for female leads, leads and co-leads of color saw a decline.
The Annenberg study found that only 25% of the films last year were led by a person of color, a major drop from 37% the year before.
Smith says she was disappointed in the result, and that she hopes film makers will see that representing the population one sees in real life or in the movie theatre is actually good for business.
“The reality is that audiences want to see stories about women and people of color,” Smith argued. “Studios and film-makers do not have to choose between the two.”
Lauzen also brought up another concern about female representation in film. In January, Lauzen released another report showing that while representation on screen has increased, female representation behind the scenes remains low.
In 2024, Lauzen said, 70% of the top-grossing films had 10 or more men in key off-screen positions compared to just 8% for women.
Smith also raised another concern for female actors, saying that as female actors get older, their ability to play lead roles declines much more than is the case for male actors. This trend, she says, has created a sizeable gap in the way women over the age of 45 are represented, as compared to men.
Out of the year’s 100 top films, there were only eight led by an older woman, compared to 21 that were led by an older man.
“The consequences of a lack of representation do not only have cultural significance, they are an economic reality for women as well,” Smith said.