Women-Led Movies Earn More Than Films Starring Men, Study Finds

The perception in Hollywood that it’s not good for box office returns to have a female lead has been greatly called into question by a recent study that found the top movies in recent years starring women earned more on average than films starring men. Last year’s breakout hit could be part of a larger trend rather than an outlier.

Globally, women make up roughly half of all movie ticket sales but their representation in leading roles on screen is still grossly unequal. Recent hits like number of female directors increased.

In a study documented by The New York Times, the Creative Artists Agency and technology partner shift7 discovered that the top films featuring female leads out-earned their male counterparts from 2014-2017. Using Gracenote, a Nielsen-owned data company, the C.A.A. and shift7 report evaluated the top films and their lead actors based on the performer listed first on the platform. The analysis looked at 350 films, 105 led by women and 245 led by men, and broke down the results by budget size for a level comparison. With the exception of films in the $30 million to $50 million budget bracket, the women won out for both average earnings and median take. What’s more, films that also ed the Bechdel test - a sign that two or more female characters talk about something than a man - outperformed those that didn’t.

The report is part of a broader effort in the wake of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and animated ensemble Trolls both counted toward the female-led category since Megan Fox and Anna Kendrick, respectively, are listed first on Gracenote.

Regardless of the minor holes that could be poked in some of the methodology, there’s no question that the earning power of women-led films is on the rise and Hollywood is taking note. films like Captain Marvel have an opportunity to further bolster this trend as a new standard.

Next: DC Will Beat Marvel to Release Two Female-Led Superhero Movies in Same Year

Source: The New York Times