As awards season progresses, the debate continues about how awards panels repeatedly ignore color creatives and their projects. But new research from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative finds that more women of color are taking lead roles in 2022’s top-grossing films.
Dr. Stacy L. Smith, alongside the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, conducted a new research study examining the gender, race, ethnicity, and age of the leading and supporting actors in the 100 highest-grossing films each year from 2007 to 2022, which examined research on gender, race, ethnicity and age analysis of leads/co-leads from 2007 to 2022.
According to the study, 16% of the top 100 highest-grossing films in 2022 will have women of color in leading or supporting roles. That’s up from 2021, which was 11% overall. A 16-year study found that in 2022, underrepresented women and non-binary people were the most typical leads and supporting leads.
Variety writes about the study’s lead author, Katherine L. Neff, regarding the research. “The lack of progress for women and people of color in leading roles for yet another year is disappointing. The film industry must recognize that even though the stories it creates features fantastic locations, audiences in this world still want to be reflected on screen.”
See some of the top findings that were made in the study below.
People of Color in 2022’s 100 top-grossing films
- 29% of all leads or co-leads in 2022 films.
- There has been a slight increase over time, from 13% in 2007 to 29% in 2022.
- This marks a decrease from 2021, with a total of 32%.
Female leads and co-leads
- There was no substantial change between 2022 and 2021, with 2022 at 44% and 2021 at 41%.
- Since 2007, films starring female-identified leads or co-leads have roughly doubled in size, from 20% to 44%.
Leads and co-leads who are 45 and older
- 35 films in 2022 featured men 45 and above.
- 10 films in 2022 featured women 45 and above, five of which featured women of color. This is an increase from 2021’s seven films and 2007’s one film.
Significant and mini-major distributor’s inclusion of people of color and/or women in the top 100 grossing films
- 75% of Lionsgate films starred female leads or co-leads
- Paramount had a total of 55.6%
- Universal had a total of 38.5%
- Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios, and Warner Bros. Pictures each totaled roughly around 33%
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