LOS ANGELES.- The movie quota Hollywood con women in leading roles declined last year, according to a new investigation released this Thursday, despite outstanding successes such as Barbie.
In the year that the blockbuster feminist film starring Margot Robbie dethroned its competitors in movie theaters, barely a third of films had a woman leading the cast, reveals the Hollywood Diversity Report. Greta Gerwig’s funny satire, which grossed more than $1.4 billion at the box office, also gave it eight nominations at the Oscars being held this Sunday, including best film.
“Even when Barbie broke box office records, the industry showed that it had continued to undervalue films focused on and directed by women, as they lost ground in terms of the representation of theatrical protagonists, screenwriters and total actors,” says the report prepared by the University of California, Los angels
The figures in the report
The proportion of films with a female lead increased steadily over the decade to 2019, according to the researchers.
That year, 44% of the films produced in Hollywood had a leading lady. But since then, the proportion has fallen, with just 32% of films in 2023 featuring a woman in the main role.
“It’s a wake-up call for Hollywood,” said Ana-Christina Ramon, co-founder of the report and director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at UCLA. “Studios need to invest in women and their stories. Women creators and filmmakers are essential for the growth of the industry.”
The report, which is in its 12th year, also found that films with more diverse casts, including a higher proportion of non-white actors, do better in theaters.
Franchises whose cast is made up of at least 50% people of color were more successful than previous installments, the study said, citing examples such as Creed III, Scream 6 y John Wick 4.
Consistent with previous years, the report revealed that black audiences financed box office receipts, with at least six out of ten opening weekend tickets for those films being purchased by non-white customers.
“When the movie industry gives them what they want, people of color flock to the movies non-stop,” Ramon said.
The 96th Oscars take place on Sunday in Hollywood.
FUENTE: AFP
