Films directed by women drop to seven-year low in 2025, study finds
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Home Female directors were behind only nine of the 100 top-grossing films of 2025, accounting for roughly 8.1% of the total A recent industry report shows a troubling decline in the number of major films directed by women in 2025, with representation falling to its lowest point in seven years. According to the annual study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, women directors were behind only nine of the 100 top-grossing films of the year, accounting for roughly 8.1% of the total, a significant drop from the previous year’s figures. The report underscores that progress for women behind the camera has been uneven, with the latest data reversing gains seen in recent years. In 2024, women made up 13.4 percent of directors on the top 100 films, compared with just 4.5 percent in 2018, making the downturn in 2025 especially notable. Dr. Stacey L. Smith, founder of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, noted that the new data suggests progress has been “fleeting,” and that industry decision-making plays a major role in shaping who gets opportunities to direct major studio projects.
Published: December 31, 2025 4:42 pm
Source: The Express Tribune — Read original