Women achieve gender parity with men in US big screen lead roles for first time Two studies find the top-grossing films of 2024 were led by female protagonists as much as by men, buoyed by the success of Wicked and The Substance.
Out of the 100 top-grossing films of last year, women led 42% of the films, the same percentage as their male counterparts, with 16% led by ensembles.
An ongoing study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative also found that 54% of films last year were led or co-led by women, up from 30% the previous year.
Out of the year’s 100 top films there were eight led by an older woman compared to 21 that were led by an older man.
According to her findings, 25% of the films last year were led by a person of colour, down from 37% the year before.
