With 2025 now wrapped up, many are starting to look back on what films the year had to offer. While many acclaimed films were released, a recent statistic revealed that out of some of the most popular films, only a limited number were made by female directors. 

The University of Southern California’s Annenberg Inclusion Initiative ran its annual numbers when it comes to inclusion within the world of film. Specifically pooled were the 100 highest-grossing films of the year, with findings indicating that less than a tenth of those films were actually helmed by a woman director. More exactly, women directed only 9 out of the 100 best-performing films of the year. 

Among those 9, the best-performing of the batch was Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, with Emma Tammi in the director’s chair. Much like the first film, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 was bound to be a financial hit, sitting at $223 million worldwide, and still sweeping up some residual holiday revenue. Per BoxOfficeMojo, the film sits at number 21 in the list of highest-earning 2025 theatrical releases.  

Upon their coverage, The Hollywood Reporter noted that the findings for 2025 are a significant decrease from the numbers 2024 had. Breaking down the actual numbers into percentages, 2025’s female directors equate to only 8.1% of the full lineup, while 2024’s female directors were close to double that at 13.4%. 

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