A new study confirmed what a lot of us already knew; films led by women casts outperform films led by men.
According to Variety, a study by Creative Artists Agency and tech company Shift7 found that between 2014 and 2017, female-led films did better than male-led films regardless of the budget level.
Not only did women-led outperform, but every film that made more than $1 billion at the box office also passed the Bechdel Test, which demands that the film have at least two women in it who also speak to each other in the film about topics other than a man.
The study backs up the sentiment that’s infused into the Time’s Up movement, which is that women are under-recognized for their contributions to entertainment and other industries. The study’s leaders include producers Amy Pascal, Liza Chasin, Shift7 CEO Megan Smith, actress Geena Davis and CAA agent Alexandra Trustman.
Pascal said that the study “is powerful proof that audiences want to see everyone represented on screen.”
Chasin also said that the hope for films to pass the Bechdel Test “is a low bar to clear, and it’s surprising how many movies don’t clear it.”
“Understandably, the studio think about the bottom line, so it’s great to see a growing body of data that should make it easier for executives to make more inclusive decisions,” she said.
Several Black-led films were a part of Hollywood’s focus on women-led films, such as Girls Trip and Hidden Figures. Other films featuring Black women leads include Oceans 8 with Rihanna and Black Panther with Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett and Lupita Nyong’o.
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