Hollywood’s top films were less diverse in 2025: ‘Studios have relapsed into a colorblind complacency’

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A recent study revealed that representation of women and people of color in leading movie roles decreased in 2025, with the biggest drop seen among women in those roles.

A new UCLA report released Thursday shows Hollywood is falling short on diversity. The 2026 Hollywood Diversity Report, which looked at the top 109 films from 2025, found that representation of both racial and gender minorities actually decreased, even after reaching record levels in recent years.

Despite ongoing issues, people of color and women significantly boosted box office numbers last year. They purchased the majority of tickets for the opening weekend of at least four of the ten highest-grossing films.

According to study co-author Michael Tran, failing to include diverse stories and representation in films means studios are missing out on potential profits and opportunities to attract audiences back to cinemas.

Last year, the percentage of lead roles going to women dropped significantly to 37%, a decrease of around 10% from 2024, when the film industry was close to having an equal number of male and female leads. The number of lead roles for people of color also decreased slightly, from 25% to 23%.

According to Jade Abston, a UCLA doctoral candidate and co-author of the study, the recent significant decline suggests that previous progress towards gender equality in film wasn’t substantial or lasting. She stated that those gains were likely superficial or fragile.

“It’s like the progress women experienced disappeared,” Abston said.

Movies

Even with the success of movies like ‘Wicked,’ a new report from UCLA shows that Hollywood saw fewer opportunities for people of color in 2024.

According to Darnell Hunt, UCLA’s executive vice chancellor and provost, the data strongly suggests continued decline—not only in film diversity and gender equality, but also in the industry’s overall success.

Movies featuring diverse casts performed the best financially. Films with casts that were 41% to 50% people of color earned the most money both domestically and worldwide, and they also tended to have the strongest opening weekends, according to a recent study.

The study found that movies with diverse casts attracted a larger proportion of moviegoers who are people of color. This suggests that audiences from Black, Indigenous, and other minority groups are more likely to go to the cinema when they see themselves reflected on screen.

With the theater world still facing challenges, it’s crucial to continue including women and people of color, according to Ana-Christina Ramón, director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative at UCLA.

The research highlights a growing challenge for Hollywood, as it’s increasingly difficult to dominate the global box office. In 2025, the top-grossing film worldwide wasn’t a Hollywood production – it was the Chinese animated movie “Ne Zha 2,” marking only the second time this has happened.

Hollywood film production has been hampered by several years of instability, including the recent actors’ and writers’ strikes and the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Ramón, reaching diverse audiences is crucial for the major studios to succeed over the next ten years.

Television

A new Hollywood Diversity Report released on Tuesday found that the most popular TV shows of 2024 showed less diversity than those of the year before.

People of color saw slight improvements in roles like directing, writing, and acting, but remain underrepresented in these areas. The only area showing progress for women was in writing, with 27% of films having at least one female writer – a 4% increase from the previous year.

Recent top films showed a small increase in the number of actors with disabilities, both in leading roles and overall. However, none of last year’s biggest movies featured lead actors with visible disabilities.

Ryan Coogler’s horror film, “Sinners,” has been a major success, earning praise for getting everything right. As the most profitable original movie in fifteen years, “Sinners” boasts a diverse cast and has been a favorite during awards season, winning an award for its ensemble performance. The film also made history with 16 Oscar nominations, including a nomination for Best Picture. A significant portion – at least half, and likely more – of the tickets sold during its opening weekend were purchased by people of color.

The study revealed that horror movies are particularly popular with Black and Latino audiences, and they also tend to be the most profitable films, offering the best return on investment.

The positive reception to films such as “Sinners” demonstrates that investing in and championing filmmakers of color is a valuable and worthwhile endeavor, according to Ramón.

Hunt explained that they consistently encourage the entertainment industry to move beyond outdated practices. However, with growing resistance to diversity initiatives nationwide, studios have unfortunately fallen back into ignoring issues of representation.

In 2025, films directed by people of color saw a small increase, representing 22% of all films. However, the percentage of films directed by women decreased to 10%.

Despite a long history of the Academy Awards, a Black director has never won an Oscar for Best Director. In contrast, four directors of Asian descent – including Ang Lee, who won twice – have been honored with the award. Three Latino directors have also won, with both Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu each taking home the prize on two occasions.

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2026-03-12 16:31