A study by Time's Up suggests that casting women in lead film roles is a recipe for success.
A study organized by Time’s Up, the organization formed to promote gender equality, has found that female-led films consistently outperform male-led movies at the box office.
The study analyzed the 350 top-grossing films worldwide released between January 2014 and December 2017. Researchers found that in films with small, medium and large budgets, all averaged better global grosses when a woman was listed as the lead star.
The study, conducted by the talent agency Creative Artists Agency and the tech company shift7, found that films that passed the Bechdel test do better, too. The Bechdel test, an invention of the cartoonist Alison Bechdel, rates whether a movie features two female characters having a conversation about something other than a man.
