Wicked” Films Deliver at the Box Office Despite Lack of Gender Parity

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2024’s ReFrame and IMDbPro Report on Gender and Casting in Movies reveals that among the top 100 movies, 30 films earned the “ReFrame seal” for gender-equitable productions.

Among those films are “Wicked,” “The Substance” and “Emilia Perez.”

2024’s ReFrame Report on Film Hiring and Gender indicates a minimal progress in gender-balanced hiring over the past five years, coupled with reduced financial investments in such projects. However, it appears that movies like Stamped ones consistently perform well financially.

The study indicates that there has been substantial advancement towards equality on-screen, but not much improvement occurred off-screen in terms of roles above and below the line.

After a modest increase in film parity from 2017 to 2019 as shown in the report’s early sections, there’s been little progress over the past five years, with only about 30% of projects receiving the ReFrame Stamp.

The main points from the report indicate a decrease in female representation among top movie directors in 2024 compared to the previous year. The number dropped from 20 to 14, while no transgender or nonbinary directors were represented, and there were only five women of color (down from nine).

In other productions, the distribution of leading roles became equal, featuring 51 films that spotlighted women, among them a transgender woman. Out of these 51 actresses, 17 were women of diverse ethnicities.

In total, there were 48 movies that had a female producer or more, with nine of these productions being led by women of color. However, during the entire analysis period, neither transgender nor nonbinary individuals were found to have produced top-tier films.

In the years between 2023 and 2024, there was a decrease of approximately 23.3% in the number of female screenwriters, dropping from 30 to 23. This decline was even steeper for women of color, with the numbers falling from eight last year to just three this year.

Among key creative roles such as film directors, composers, and visual effects supervisors, women are significantly underrepresented, holding less than 10% in each position. However, in the year 2024, only three female directors of photography, six visual effects supervisors, and eight female composers were featured among the Top 100 films.

Moreover, it’s common to find that four key supporting roles (often filled by women) are present in 97 out of 100 films, while this year, 4 out of the 100 films feature a nonbinary or transgender actor in a supporting role. Unfortunately, ethnic diversity among co-lead performers decreased by around 24% compared to last year, dropping from 58 to 44.

As a passionate film enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that streaming giants Netflix and Amazon have earned the ReFrame Stamp for more than half of their released productions, showcasing their commitment to gender equity in Hollywood. On the other hand, Apple, Lionsgate, and Paramount haven’t yet released any films bearing the ReFrame Stamp within the Top 100.

According to the official document, the Stamp is given to productions that successfully employ at least half of their key creative roles, such as writer, director, producer, lead actors, cinematographer, production designer, costume designer, editor, composer, music supervisor, VFX supervisor, line producer, unit production manager, 1st assistant director, stunt coordinator, and intimacy coordinator, to candidates who identify as women or underrepresented gender identities/expressions (including transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming individuals).

Read the full report on ReFrame and IMDb.

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2025-03-26 22:18