I want Hollywood to champion new voices and expand the kinds of faces we see in front of and behind the camera but it seems like the only thing they care about is money. Well, now a new study has come out from the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at UCLA titled “Beyond Checking A Box: A Lack of Authentically Inclusive Representation Has Costs at the Box Office” which shows that those two things may not be mutually exclusive.
Researchers found that bringing authentic diversity to film improves financial performance at the box office while a lack of diversity can result in losses for studios.
So, it’s time to pay attention, Hollywood. Just how much money have you been leaving on the table?
The report analyzed 109 movies from 2016 to 2019. The major finding is that studios can expect to lose up to $130 million per film when their offerings lack diversity in storytelling. Even more damning to tentpoles is that researchers found films with a budget of $159 million or more are subject to a significant cost in the opening weekend box office for a lack of diversity.
That might shake things up. See more at NoFilmSchool.