A groundbreaking report released on Tuesday reveals that for the first time, over half of the 100 highest-grossing films of 2024 feature female protagonists in leading or co-leading roles.
The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative from the University of Southern California found that women and girls represented 54% of the main characters in the top 100 box office hits. This marks a significant increase from just 30% in 2023 and a mere 20% when the USC annual report was initiated in 2007.
Women Lead the Box Office Charge
Stacy L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, commented, “We can confidently state that gender equality has been achieved in the landscape of top-grossing films for the first time.”
“In 2024, three of the top five films featured female leads, and five out of the top ten included women in prominent roles—among them, the year’s leading film, Disney’s ‘Inside Out 2,'” she added.
Other significant films with strong female characters in 2024 include “Wicked,” starring Cynthia Erivo, “The Substance,” featuring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley, and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” showcasing Anya Taylor-Joy.
Despite this positive trend, disparities between studios exist. Universal Studios boasted a leading role percentage of 66.7%, while Sony Pictures Entertainment had only 38.5% of films with female leads.
“We have always recognized that female leads can drive box office success. This shift is not merely a financial awakening but a result of ongoing advocacy from various groups and initiatives aimed at promoting equitable representation on screen,” Smith explained.
Room for Improvement in Minority Representation
Although the presence of female leads has improved, separate findings from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film at San Diego State University, also released on Tuesday, indicated that the number of female characters with speaking roles rose only slightly from 35% to 37% in 2024.
The USC report highlighted that gender inclusion has not been matched by racial diversity. Only 25 of the top 100 films featured a person of color in a leading role, a decrease from 37 in 2023. This figure starkly contrasts with the 41.6% of the US population identified as people of color, according to census data.
“While this year’s findings underscore a significant step forward for women in film, more work is necessary to enhance representation for women of color,” stated Katherine Neff, lead author of the USC study.
