*

Over half of top 100 movies in 2024 had female leads

*

Representation for people of color fell

*

Films like "Wicked" and "Anora" led the way

By Danielle Broadway

LOS ANGELES, Feb 11 (Reuters) - Out of the top 100

movies in 2024, more than half featured a story centered on a

female actor as a lead or co-lead, the first time representation

has been above the U.S. Census where girls and women comprise

50.5% of the population, a 2025 report from the University of

Southern California found.

However, representation fell for people of color in film,

the report said.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examined 1,800

top-grossing films from 2007 to 2024 and assessed the gender,

race and ethnicity as well as the ages of the leading and

co-leading actors for each movie.

"This is the first time we can say that gender equality has

been reached in top-grossing films," said Dr. Stacy L. Smith,

founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative.

"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," Smith added.

Films like "Wicked" with lead Cynthia Erivo, "Anora" with

lead Mikey Madison and Anya Taylor-Joy in "Furiosa: A Mad Max

Saga" set the stage for these gains in Hollywood gender

equality.

Out of the 100 top-grossing films of 2024, 54 featured a

girl or woman in a lead or co-lead role, the USC report said.

This reflects an increase from 2023, when only 30 movies

featured a female-identified protagonist.

Over half of the films distributed by Universal Pictures

(66.7%), Warner Bros. Pictures (55.6%)and Lionsgate (54.5%)

featured a female actor as the lead or co-lead of the story, the

report found.

About 40% or more of films were centered on a female lead or

co-lead at Paramount Pictures (44.4%), Walt Disney Studios (40%)

and Sony Pictures Entertainment (38.5%).

However, leads and co-leads from underrepresented racial and

ethnic groups have declined significantly, as only 25 of the top

100 films featured a lead of color in 2024, a decrease from

2023, when 37 leads or co-leads were people of color.

A third of all Paramount Pictures films released in 2024

featured a lead or co-lead of color, with Lionsgate (27.3%) and

Universal Pictures (26.7%) having similar demographics.

Walt Disney Studios (20%), Sony Pictures Entertainment

(15.4%) and Warner Bros. Pictures (11.1%) reflected even lower

numbers.

In 2024, no distributors reached proportional representation

with the U.S. Census (41.6%).

"This downturn signifies a lack of investment in

storytelling that reflects the audience as a whole," Smith said.

"The reality is that audiences want to see stories about

women and people of color - studios and filmmakers do not have

to choose between the two," she added.

Thirteen films in 2024 had a woman of color lead or co-lead,

which is similar to USC's 2023 report and higher than the 2007

report.

"While this year's findings mark a historic step towards

proportional representation for women there is still work to be

done for women of color," said Katherine Neff, the study's lead

author.