A report revealed that only 32% of Hollywood films released in 2023 had a female lead
- The researchers analyzed 109 of the best English-language films released in 2023
- Less than a third had a woman in the lead role, which represents a 6.5% decrease from 2022.
It was one of the biggest hits of 2023.
But don’t let Barbie fool you, the vast majority of Hollywood movies released last year starred men.
A new report reveals that less than a third (32.1%) of films in 2023 had a woman as the lead.
This represents a 6.5 percent decrease from 2022, when there was a woman in 38.6 percent of films.
“Even as ‘Barbie’ broke box office records, the industry showed that it continued to undervalue female-centered and female-led films, as women lost ground when it came to representing theatrical heroes, writers, and actors,” the report said. , produced by the University of California, Los Angeles.
In their new report, titled The Hollywood Diversity Report, researchers analyzed 109 of the best English-language films released in 2023.
Their findings show that the share of films with a woman in the lead role increased steadily over the decade to 2019.
That year, 44% of films produced in Hollywood starred women.
But in the years since, this percentage has declined, with only 32% of films in 2023 featuring a woman as the main character.
When it comes to the gender of the director, things are even bleaker.
Last year, only 14.7% of films had a female director, according to researchers.
“Men held the most opportunities and the highest budgets when it came to directing,” the team wrote in their report.
“Only 16 of the top 200 films were directed by women. Five of them were directed by women of color.
“Films directed by white women were also more likely to have smaller budgets.
“Barbie was only one of three releases directed by a woman with a budget of $100 million or more, compared to 25 films directed by men.”
Researchers say the findings should serve as a “wake-up call for Hollywood.”
“Studios need to invest in women and their stories,” said Ana Cristina Ramon, co-founder of the report and director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at the University of California, California.
“Women creatives and filmgoers are integral to the growth of the industry.”
The report, now in its 12th year, found that films with a more diverse cast, including a greater percentage of non-white actors, tend to perform better at the box office.
The report said that films with at least half of the cast being people of color outperformed previous releases, citing the best successes in the series enjoyed by “Creed III,” “Scream VI” and “John Wick: Chapter 4.”
Consistent with previous years, the report found that audiences of color ensured box office returns, with at least six out of ten tickets for the opening weekends of these films being purchased by non-white customers.
“When the film industry gives them what they want, people of color deliver at the box office year after year,” Ramone said.
(Tags for translation)Barbie