UCLA has released Part 1 of its annual Diversity Report, focusing on representation on both sides of the camera among the top 200 films released in 2018 and 2019. Like the 2019 report and the 2018 edition before that, the study’s authors have concluded that women and people of color are getting more opportunities in Hollywood, but remain woefully underrepresented. In other words, things are improving, but real inclusion is still a long way off.

The 2020 Diversity Report, written by Dr. Darnell Hunt and Dr. Ana-Christina Ramón, found that both women and people of color have made strides in five key films roles: leads, directors, writers, total actors, and studio heads. Yet, in each area, they are still the minority.

For example, women comprised 15.1 percent of film directors during the study’s timeframe, despite being slightly more than half of the population. Women made up 17.4 percent of writers and 18 percent of studio heads. While there is still not gender parity among performers, women are approaching “proportionate representation” in this field. They were 44.1 percent of film leads and 40.2 percent of total actors.

Meanwhile, people of color are approximately 40 percent of the U.S. population, but were only 14.4 percent of directors, 13.9 percent of writers, and nine percent of studio heads. Like women, they fared best as actors, but are still not clearing proportionate representation. People of color comprised 27.6 percent of film leads and 32.7 percent of total actors.

As the study concludes, Hollywood should rectify these gender and racial gaps, and prioritize increased inclusion and representation since — all together now — diversity sells. In 2018, films with casts of 21-30 percent people of color netted the highest median global box office receipts. The following year, that honor went to movies with casts of 41-50 percent people of color. Both years saw films with 41-50 percent minority casts opening in the most international markets.

Looking to film attendance, people of color bought the majority of tickets at the domestic box office for six of 2018’s top 10 films, and eight of 2019’s top 10 films. Obviously, minority audiences are responsible for much of the film industry’s revenue — yet the biz isn’t showing them the same love. The Diversity Report found that, consistent with previous findings, “films with Black leads and majority-minority casts were released in the fewest international markets, on average, in both 2018 and 2019.”

So, not only is the film industry’s exclusion of people of color infuriating and wrong, it’s bad business. Let’s hope Hollywood appreciates a win-win — being woke and making money — and greenlights more movies featuring people of color.

Read Part 1 of the 2020 Diversity Report here. Highlights from the study are below. Part 2 is expected later this year.

Minorities

The minority share of the U.S. population is growing by nearly half a percent each year. Constituting 40 percent of the U.S. population in 2018,2 and slightly more in 2019, people of color will become the majority within a couple of decades. Since the previous report, people of color posted gains relative to their White counterparts in each of the five key Hollywood employment arenas examined in the film sector (i.e., among film leads, film directors, film writers, total actors, and studio heads). Despite these gains for the group — most notably in closing the gap for acting roles since the previous report — people of color remained underrepresented on every industry employment front in 2019:

• Less than 2 to 1 among film leads (27.6 percent)
• Less than 3 to 1 among film directors (14.4 percent)
• Less than 3 to 1 among film writers (13.9 percent)
• Less than proportionate representation among total actors (32.7 percent)
• Greater than 4 to 1 among studio heads (9 percent)

Women

Like people of color, women have also made meaningful progress in the film sector since the previous report. Women posted gains, relative to their male counterparts, in each of the five key employment arenas — among film leads, film directors, film writers, total actors, and studio heads. Nonetheless, as women constitute slightly more than half of the population, they remained underrepresented on every front in 2019 (though they approached proportionate representation among acting roles):

• Less than proportionate representation among film leads (44.1 percent)
• Greater than 3 to 1 among film directors (15.1 percent)
• Less than 3 to 1 among film writers (17.4 percent)
• Less than proportionate representation among total actors (40.2 percent)
• Less than 3 to 1 among studio heads (18 percent)

Accolades

In 2018, films with minority leads and those directed by minorities gained ground at the Oscars relative to those that featured White leads or White directors. By contrast, films with women leads lost a little ground relative to those with male leads in 2018, while films directed by women failed for the fourth year in a row to win a single Oscar.

The Bottom Line

New evidence from 2018 and 2019 supports findings from earlier reports in this series suggesting that America’s increasingly diverse audiences prefer diverse film content:

• In 2018, films with casts that were from 21 percent to 30 percent minority enjoyed the highest median global box office receipts, while films with casts that were from 41 percent to 50 percent minority enjoyed this distinction in 2019. By contrast, films with the least diverse casts — in both years — were the poorest performers.
• People of color accounted for the majority of domestic ticket sales for six of the top 10 films in 2018 (ranked by global box office), up from five in 2017. In 2019, minorities bought the majority of tickets for eight of the top 10 films, as well as half of the tickets for a ninth top 10 film.
• Films with casts that were from 41 percent to 50 percent minority were released in the most international markets, on average, in both 2018 and 2019.
• In both 2018 and 2019, the median global box office for films released in China was significantly higher than the figures for films that were not. Meanwhile, the films released in China in both years had casts that were, on average, a bit more diverse.
• Consistent with findings from previous reports, films with Black leads and majority-minority casts were released in the fewest international markets, on average, in both 2018 and 2019.