Which film distributors performed poorly in inclusion?

Paramount and Warner Bros. were identified as the worst-performing distributors, with very low percentages of films featuring female leads.

What are the implications of a potential Paramount and Warner Bros. merger?

The study warns that a merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. would likely be detrimental to inclusion efforts for actors who identify as women and people of color.

Home / Arts and Entertainment / Inclusion in Film Hits 7-Year Low

Inclusion in Film Hits 7-Year Low

4 Feb

•

Summary

Female leads in top films dropped to a seven-year low in 2025.
Underrepresented actors of color had limited leading roles.
Paramount and Warner Bros. show the worst performance in inclusion.

A recent study by the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative highlights a concerning trend in Hollywood for 2025. The number of top-grossing films featuring a girl or woman in a lead or co-lead role has fallen to 39 out of 100, marking the lowest point since 2018. This represents a substantial decrease from 2024's high of 55 films.

Underrepresented female leads also fared poorly, with only 15 films featuring them. Notably, no film in 2025 had an older woman of color (45+) in a leading role. In contrast, six films featured underrepresented men in the same age bracket. Paramount and Warner Bros. were singled out as the distributors with the weakest performance, with only 12.5% and 20% of their films, respectively, centering on female leads.

Universal led with over half its films featuring female leads, followed by Lionsgate and Disney. When considering underrepresented actors, Disney, Lionsgate, and Sony Pictures each had 50% of their films led by a person of color. Paramount had no films with an underrepresented lead. The study warns that a potential merger between Paramount and Warner Bros. would be detrimental to inclusion efforts for women and people of color.