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A 2025 report from the University of Southern California found that out of the top 100 movies in 2024, more than half featured a story centred on a female actor as a lead or co-lead. This is the first time representation has been above the US Census, where girls and women comprise 50.5% of the population.

However, representation fell for people of colour in film, the report said.

The USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative examined 1,800 top-grossing films from 2007 to 2024, assessing the gender, race, ethnicity and ages of 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 several different constituencies and efforts — at advocacy groups, 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 centred 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 colour, a decrease from 2023 when 37 leads or co-leads were people of colour.

A third of all Paramount Pictures films released in 2024 featured a lead or co-lead of colour, 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 US 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 colour — studios and filmmakers do not have to choose between the two,” she added.

Thirteen films in 2024 had a woman of colour 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 colour,” said Katherine Neff, the study’s lead author.