Coming to a Theatre Near You
Is Hollywood finally catching up with the real world? Maybe, sort of, yes.
It’s taken decades, but the face of the movie industry may finally be changing—even if slowly and imperfectly.
A new working paper authored by three academics at the University of Southern California Annenberg, found that across the top 100 movies that came out in 2024, more than half featured a story that was centered on a female-identified actor as a lead or co-lead.
Katherine L. Neff, Dr. Stacy L. Smith and Dr. Katherine Pieper found that the percentage of girls and women protagonists last year hit an all-time high of 54%—a marked increase from just 30% in 2023 and more than double the 20% recorded in 2007, which was the first year for which academics obtained numbers.
Indeed, Neff, Smith and Pieper wrote that 2024 is likely “the first time gender equality has ever been documented across the 100 top-grossing films.” In 2022, according to their research, women accounted for 44% of protagonists, which was the second highest proportion on record.
Far from Perfection
Despite this apparent shift toward gender equality, the researchers also stressed that far more work needs to be done to ensure true representation in the industry.
They found, for example, that women over the age of 45 are still dramatically underrepresented: For every one film led or co-led by a woman over 45, there were 2.6 films led or co-led by a man in the same age category. In fact, a mere eight of the 100 films examined featured a protagonist woman over the age of 45. (These were Amy Poehler in “Inside Out 2,” Winona Ryder in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” Nicole Kidman in “Babygirl,” Hilary Swank in “Ordinary Angels,” Demi Moore in “The Substance,” Cate Blanchett in “Borderlands,” Nika King in “Sound of Hope,” and June Squibb in “Thelma.”)
As for racial representation, of the 100 top grossing films last year, just 25% had what the academics describe as an “underrepresented” lead or co-lead. And perhaps most dispiritingly: The number of films with leads or co-leads of color significantly decreased from 37 titles in 2023 to just 25 in 2024. In fact, just 13 had a woman of color at the center driving the plot, and just one featured a woman of color 45 years of age or older in a leading or co-leading role. That movie was “Sound of Hope” starring Nika King.
To be sure, the UCS Annenberg research does have limitations, as the academics themselves point out.
For one thing the study only considers the most popular or highest-grossing films of 2024. “Less popular movies might feature a different constellation of leading actors,” they write. “However, the movies examined reflect major studio releases and the agenda-setting films of the year and as such, provide an important look into how decision-making plays a role in on-screen representation and hiring.”
The researchers also acknowledge that the study related only to movies released in theatres. “Films released on streaming services may also present a different picture of leads/co leads,” they write.
But even considering these constraints, one thing is clear: While more women on screen is a significant step in the right direction, we can’t afford to allow this one win to distract us from the work that remains to be done. Culture can be a powerful conduit for change. Let’s make sure we use it.
