UCLA Hollywood report shows audiences want diverse films

The Hollywood sign is pictured on March 6 near the Dolby Theatre, the site of Sunday’s 96th Academy Awards in Los Angeles.

Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

Ahead of Hollywood’s biggest night, UCLA published a new study Thursday looking at diversity within the film industry.

It found people of color making gains in the major categories in 2023 — film leads, total actors, directors and writers. However, women suffered losses in the acting and writing categories. Both groups remain underrepresented in all major employment categories, according to the study.

Hollywood was in a tough spot in 2023, still recovering from the pandemic and undergoing strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild. But movies such as Barbie and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes helped bolster box offices, according to the study, which examined global and domestic earnings of theatrically released movies.

The study found that in 2023, films with casts that were 31 to 40 percent people of color earned the highest median global box office receipts, while films with casts that were 11 percent people of color were the poorest performers. The study also found that female moviegoers bought the majority of opening weekend domestic tickets for three of the top 10 movies in 2023.

The study noted that franchise films posted the highest earnings of their film series when they embraced more diversity. The examples included movies such as Creed 3, Scream 6, and John Wick: Chapter 4, which featured lead actors of color and casts with 50 percent or more actors of color.

“Films that embrace diversity are more likely to resonate with audiences, leading to box-office success and ultimately long-term…