UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report Finds Women & POC Drive Viewer Ratings For Top Streaming Films

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The UCLA Hollywood Diversity Report, now in its 11th year, provides annual in-depth analyses of the industry — behind and in front of the camera — as well as comprehensive breakdowns of the audiences and what they’re watching in the theaters and at home.

Key Takeaways include:

Women made up the majority of viewers for nine of the top 10 streaming films of 2023, while households of color were also overrepresented as viewers for nine of the top 10.

Among creators, women and people of color still find more opportunities in streaming than in theatrical productions but continue to face limited resources as white male directors helm the few high-budget projects.

Women reached proportionate representation as leads in films but were most likely to star in films with smaller budgets and continue to lag in terms of overall cast.

People of color remain underrepresented behind the camera, but they reached proportionate representation in terms of total cast on screen and their largest share of film leads for the first time in the report series.

In 2023, women and people of color were drawn to streaming film releases in a big way. For nine of the top 10 releases and 17 of the top 20 ranked by household ratings, women

represented the majority of viewers. Similarly, households of color exceeded their population share and were overrepresented as viewers for nine of the top 10 streaming films and 18 of the top 20 streaming films, like The Mother (55.9%) and You People (50.0%).

“Women and people of color are key audiences that simply cannot be ignored by Hollywood,” said Ana-Christina Ramón, co-founder of the report and director of UCLA’s Entertainment and Media Research Initiative. “Once again, we found that successful streaming films are propelled to the top by households of color. And, among the highest-rated films, women are the majority of the viewers.”

Even though the pandemic showed audiences embracing major studio releases in the comfort of their own homes, the industry shifted its focus back to theaters. Streaming releases took a hit in 2023 as the rapid expansion of streaming took a toll on studios, strikes loomed large and the film industry struggled to return to pre-pandemic revenue numbers. Studios continue to approach productions — and their costs — with caution.

“We’re seeing the industry contract,” said Darnell Hunt, UCLA’s executive vice chancellor and provost, and co-founder of the report. “The boom of streaming is fizzling out, as less streaming films are getting the greenlight and less investment goes into the ones that actually move forward.”

The total number of English-language streaming films dropped 28.6%, from 161 in 2022 to 115 in 2023. Of the top 100 films examined in this report, almost a third were comedies (30%), with a larger share of comedies released on streaming compared to theatrical releases in 2022 and 2023.

More than half of the top streaming film releases had budgets under $20 million compared to 30.3% of the top theatrical releases. Meanwhile, a quarter of top theatrical films (25.7%) had budgets of $100 million or more, nearly eight times the share of top streaming films (3.2%) in the same budget range.

As studios cut projects and financing for streaming, the researchers urge industry leaders to think twice before turning their backs on recent gains in diversity.

“Increased diversity in front of and behind the camera continues to draw audiences in,” Ramón said. “It reflects the world we live in and will resonate more deeply with youth who are already majority BIPOC and who have become accustomed to seeing themselves reflected in animated films and content produced on social media.”

They also emphasize the importance of staying the course and not going back to what’s considered “safe.”

“We know investing in diversity isn’t a risk,” said Hunt, who is also a professor of sociology and African American studies. “It should be considered a strategic business imperative if Hollywood wants to survive.”

Click here for the full Hollywood Diversity report from UCLA.