On average, theatrically released films within the 100 most popular that received
the ReFrame Stamp for gender-balanced hiring earned more than double
their non-Stamped counterparts at the worldwide box office
Los Angeles, CA — ReFrame, the initiative launched in 2017 by Sundance Institute and WIF (formerly known as Women In Film Los Angeles) to advance gender equity in the screen industries, and IMDbPro, the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals, today announced that 30 of the 100 most popular films of 2024 meet ReFrame Stamp criteria for gender-balanced production including Academy Award winners Wicked and The Substance (full list below). The 2024 ReFrame Report on Gender and Hiring in Film, which examines hiring across key roles on all 100 films based on IMDbPro data, suggests that despite little improvement in gender-balanced hiring over the last five years and lower budgets being allocated to these projects, Stamped films deliver at the box office.
Since the brief climb captured in the first few years of the report between 2017 and 2019, progress for parity in feature films has stalled, with 30% or fewer projects receiving the ReFrame Stamp for the past five years. Despite their smaller share across the Top 100, Stamped films over-index on profitability, comprising half of the 10 top-grossing films in 2024, with Inside Out 2 following in Barbie’s footsteps as a Stamped film with a female lead that topped both the year’s domestic and worldwide box offices. Stamped films also receive lower budgets overall, but on average, Stamped theatrical releases within the Top 100 earned more than double their non-Stamped counterparts at the worldwide box office ($293.9MM for Stamped films compared to $117.8MM for non-Stamped films). Stamped films garnering awards recognition also remains consistent, with three of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture at the 97th Academy Awards meeting ReFrame Stamp criteria: The Substance, Wicked and Emelia Pérez, which tallied 26 nominations and five wins between them. Stamped films have accounted for three Best Picture nominations each year since the expansion to 10 nominees in 2022.
Additional findings of the ReFrame Report include:
Films with larger budgets are less inclusive: over the last three years, the proportion of Stamped films at the highest budget level ($100M or more) is about half that of the lowest budget level ($15M or less).
The average budget for a Stamped film fell $18M (from $63M in 2023 to $45M in 2024) while budgets for non-Stamped films decreased $8M (from $76M in 2023 to $68M in 2024).
The number of women directors represented in the Top 100 films of 2024 fell from 2023 (20 to 14), and there were zero transgender or nonbinary directors and only five women of color (down from nine in 2023).
Lead acting roles reached parity, with 51 films starring women including one transgender woman. Of those 51 women, 17 were women of color.
Co-leads (the four largest supporting roles) frequently include women, with 97/100 films including a qualifying candidate. This year, four of 100 films include a nonbinary or transgender performer in a supporting role. However, ethnic diversity for co-lead performers dropped nearly a quarter (24.1%) from last year’s 58 to 44.
Numbers for women screenwriters also fell 23.3% from 30 in 2023 to 23 in 2024, with steeper declines for women of color (eight last year and three this year).
Directors of photography, composers and visual effects supervisors remain three of the positions most lacking in representation, with women holding fewer than 10% of each role. In 2024, women accounted for three directors of photography, six visual effects supervisors and eight composers within the Top 100 films.
Direct-to-streaming releases comprised 21 of the Top 100 films and included more than 50% (11) Stamped films, while theatrical releases were only 30.7% Stamped (16/52) and limited theatrical releases were 37.5% Stamped (3/8).
The ReFrame Report includes a report card showing the percentage of Top 100 films that met ReFrame Stamp criteria from each company. This year, Netflix and Amazon earned the ReFrame Stamp for more than 50% of their releases, while Apple, Lionsgate and Paramount did not release any of the Stamped films in the Top 100.
The Stamp is an acknowledgement of gender-balanced hiring, so every production—regardless of subject matter or the gender of its director or lead talent—can achieve gender parity. The Stamp is awarded to features that hire ‘qualifying candidates,’ or women or individuals of other underrepresented gender identities/expressions (including those who are transgender, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming) in at least 50% of key roles roles, including Writer, Director, Producer, Lead, Co-Leads, Cinematographer, Production Designer, Costume Designer, Editor, Composer, Music Supervisor, VFX Supervisor, Line Producer, Unit Production Manager, 1st Assistant Director, Stunt Coordinator and Intimacy Coordinator. Additional points are awarded to productions that hire qualifying candidates of color in these key positions, and to those with overall gender parity in their crews. View the full ReFrame Film Stamp criteria here.
To award the Stamp, ReFrame reviewed cast and crew data for all eligible films on the IMDbPro list of the 100 most popular films of 2024. This list is based on the actual page views of the more than 250 million monthly visitors to IMDb worldwide. The Stamp is applied only to feature-length fiction films produced and distributed in the U.S. and does not apply to unscripted or documentary productions.
CONTACTS:
SLATE PR:
Elyse Weissman: elyse@slate-pr.com
Lindsey Brown: Lindsey@slate-pr.com
2024 ReFrame Stamp Recipients
* Denotes films included on the IMDbPro Top 100 List
† Denotes films included on Box Office Mojo Top 100 List (Box Office Mojo is a service of IMDbPro)
§ Denotes films that applied for the ReFrame Stamp
¶ Denotes Stamped Academy Award nominated films
◊ Denotes Stamped Academy Award winning films
§ A Little Family Drama / USA 2024 (Director: Nadia Zoe, Screenwriter: Nadia Zoe, Ramon O. Torres, Producer: Nadia Zoe, Ramon O. Torres, Distributor: Atlas Distribution Company)
§ All Wounds / USA 2024 (Director: Catherine Vouvray, Screenwriter: Catherine Vouvray, Producer: Catherine Vouvray, Leslie Ben Hamilton, Distributor: N/A)
§ Anna Comes Home / USA 2023 (Director: Amber Suzor, Screenwriter: Amber Suzor, Producer: Jennifer Downes, Distributor: N/A)
* § Atlas / USA 2024 (Director: Brad Peyton, Screenwriter: Leo Sardarian, Aron Eli Coleite, Producer: Greg Berlanti, Joby Harold, Jennifer Lopez, Benny Medina, Brad Peyton, Sarah Schechter, Tory Tunnell, Distributor: Netflix)
* A Family Affair / USA 2024 (Director: Richard LaGravenese, Screenwriter: Carrie Solomon, Producer: Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Distributor: Netflix)
* Babygirl / USA 2024 (Director: Halina Reijn, Screenwriter: Halina Reijn, Producer: David Hinojosa, Zach Nutman, Halina Reijn, Distributor: A24)
* † Beetlejuice Beetlejuice / USA 2024 (Director: Tim Burton, Screenwriter: Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, Producer: Tim Burton, Dede Gardner, Tommy Harper, Jeremy Kleiner, Marc Toberoff, Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures)
* † Blink Twice / USA 2024 (Director: Zoë Kravitz, Screenwriter: Zoë Kravitz, E.T. Feigenbaum, Producer: Bruce Cohen, Zoë Kravitz, Garret Levitz, Tiffany Persons, Channing Tatum, Distributor: Amazon MGM Pictures)
* Caddo Lake / USA 2024 (Director: Logan George, Celine Held, Screenwriter: Celine Held, Logan George, Producer: Kara Durrett, Josh Godfrey, Ashwin Rajan, M. Night Shyamalan, Distributor: Max)
* † Challengers / USA 2024 (Director: Luca Guadagnino, Screenwriter: Justin Kuritzkes, Producer: Luca Guadagnino, Rachel O’Connor, Amy Pascal, Zendaya, Distributor: MGM)
§ Caralique / USA 2022 (Director: Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, Screenwriter: Dale Fiola, Producer: Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Abbie Georganna, J. Margo Giron, Lana Young, Distributor: Vision Films)
§ Dark Feathers: Dance of the Geisha / USA 2024 (Director: Crystal J. Huang, Nicholas Ryan, Screenwriter: Jin Yao, Producer: Crystal J. Huang, Lan Kay, Ned Kisner, Distributor: Hannover House)
§ The Death That Awaits / USA 2024 (Director: Richard J. Lee, Screenwriter: Rachel Kiley, Producer: Richard J. Lee, Distributor: Jackrabbit Media)
* The Deliverance / USA 2024 (Director: Lee Daniels, Screenwriter: David Coggeshall, Elijah Bynum, Producer: Todd Crites, Lee Daniels, Jackson Nguyen, Tucker Tooley, Pamela Oas Williams, Distributor: Netflix)
* Descendants: The Rise of Red / USA 2024 (Director: Jennifer Phang, Screenwriter: Dan Frey, Ru Sommer, Producer: Wendy S. William, Distributor: Disney+)
* Don’t Move / USA 2024 (Director: Brian Netto, Adam Schindler, Screenwriter: T.J. Cimfel, David White, Producer: Zainab Azizi, Alex Lebovici, Christian Mercuri, Sam Raimi, Sarah Sarandos, Distributor: Netflix)
¶◊ Emilia Peréz / France 2024 (Director: Jacques Audiard, Screenwriter: Jacques Audiard, Producer: Jacques Audiard, Pascal Caucheteux, Valérie Schermann, Anthony Vaccarello, Distributor: Netflix)
§ The Everything Pot / USA 2024 (Director: Sherise Dorf, Screenwriter: Sherise Dorf, Producer: Sherise Dorf, Callie Bloem, Lisa Edelstein, Christopher J. Ewing, Sean Patrick Kelly, James Wolk, Distributor: N/A)
* † The First Omen / USA 2024 (Director: Arkasha Stevenson, Screenwriter: Tim Smith, Arkasha Stevenson, Keith Thomas, Producer: David S. Goyer, Keith Levine, Vindhya Sagar, Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
* † Fly Me to the Moon / USA 2024 (Director: Greg Berlanti, Screenwriter: Rose Gilroy, Producer: Keenan Flynn, Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Lia, Sarah Schechter, Distributor: Columbia Pictures)
* † Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire / USA 2024 (Director: Adam Wingard, Screenwriter: Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett, Jeremy Slater, Producer: Zakaria Alaoui, Alex Garcia, Eric McLeod, Mary Parent, Brian Rogers, Thomas Tull, Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures)
§ Goodbye, Petrushka / USA 2024 (Director: Nicola Rose, Screenwriter: Nicola Rose, Producer: Tierney Boorboor, Nicola Rose, Distributor: Indie Rights)
§ Growing Pains / USA 2024 (Director: Catherine Argyrople, Screenwriter: Catherine Argyrople, Mariana Fabian, Producer: Catherine Argyrople, Distributor: N/A)
§ Heightened / USA 2023 (Director: Sara Friedman, Screenwriter: Sara Friedman, Producer: John Hermann, Distributor: Freestyle Digital Media)
* The Idea of You / USA 2024 (Director: Michael Showalter, Screenwriter: Michael Showalter, Jennifer Westfeldt, Producer: Cathy Schulman, Anne Hathaway, Eric Hayes, Robinne Lee, Jordana Mollick, Michael Showalter, Gabrielle Union, Distributor: Amazon Prime Video)
§ In Bloom / USA 2024 (Director: Dolapo Adeleke, Priyanka Banerjee, Nicole Teeny, Screenwriter: Dolapo Adeleke, Priyanka Banerjee, Nicole Teeny, Producer: Arij Al-Soltan, Distributor: Paramount Global Content Distribution)
§ Ingress / USA 2024 (Director: Rachel Noll James, Screenwriter: Rachel Noll James, Producer: Rachel Noll James, Sienna Beckman, Distributor: One Tree Entertainment)
* † ¶ Inside Out 2 / USA 2024 (Director: Kelsey Mann, Screenwriter: Meg LeFauve, Dave Holstein, Kelsey Mann, Producer: Mark Nielsen Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
* † It Ends with Us / USA 2024 (Director: Justin Baldoni, Screenwriter: Christy Hall, Producer: Christy Hall, Jamey Heath, Blake Lively, Alex Saks, Distributor: Columbia Pictures)
* It’s What’s Inside / USA 2024 (Director: Greg Jardin, Screenwriter: Greg Jardin, Producer: Kate Andrews, Jason Baum, Raul Domingo, William Rosenfeld, Distributor: Netflix)
§ I Watched Her Grow / USA 2024 (Director: Shea Formanes, Screenwriter: Shea Formanes, Producer: Matthew Mee, Distributor: N/A)
* Jackpot! / USA 2024 (Director: Paul Feig, Screenwriter: Rob Yescombe, Producer: Paul Feig, Laura Fischer, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Joe Roth, Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios)
§ Karma’s a Bitch / USA 2024 (Director: Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, Screenwriter: Isabella Blake-Thomas, Producer: Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, Isabella Blake-Thomas, Robert A. Daly Jr., David Lipper, Kipp Tribble, Distributor: ITN Distribution)
§ Lakeview / USA 2024 (Director: Tara Thorne, Screenwriter: Tara Thorne, Producer: Nicole Steeves, Distributor: N/A)
§ Lilly / USA 2024 (Director: Rachel Feldman, Screenwriter: Rachel Feldman, Producer: Kelly E. Ashton, Rachel Feldman, Kerianne Flynn, J. Todd Harris, Julie Kaufman, Simone Pero, Jyoti Sarda, Christine Schwarzman, Allyn Stewart, Distributor: N/A)
† Lisa Frankenstein / USA 2024 (Director: Zelda Williams, Screenwriter: Diablo Cody, Producer: Diablo Cody, Mason Novick, Distributor: Focus Features)
* † Madame Web / USA 2024 (Director: S.J. Clarkson, Screenwriter: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, S.J. Clarkson, Producer: Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment)
† Mean Girls / USA 2024 (Director: Samantha Jayne, Arturo Perez Jr., Screenwriter: Tina Fey, Producer: Tina Fey, Lorne Michaels, Distributor: Paramount Pictures)
§ The Mermaid / USA 2024 (Director: Soudabeh Moradian, Screenwriter: Soudabeh Moradian, Naghmeh Samini, Mary E. Fry, Producer: Soudabeh Moradian, Distributor: N/A)
*† ¶ Moana 2 / USA 2024 (Director: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, Dana Ledoux Miller, Screenwriter: Jared Bush, Dana Ledoux Miller, Producer: Christina Chen, Yvett Merino, Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
* My Old Ass / USA 2024 (Director: Megan Park, Screenwriter: Megan Park, Producer: Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara, Steven Rales, Margot Robbie, Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios)
† Ordinary Angels / USA 2024 (Director: Jon Gunn, Screenwriter: Meg Tilly, Kelly Fremon Craig, Producer: David Beal, Jon Berg, Johnathan Dorfman, Kevin Downes, Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin, Sarah Johnson, Roy Lee, Dave Matthews, Distributor: Lionsgate)
*§ Our Little Secret / USA 2024 (Director: Stephen Herek, Screenwriter: Hailey DeDominicis, Producer: Mike Elliott, Lisa Gooding, Distributor: Netflix)
§ Regarding Us / USA 2024 (Director: David Beck, Jennifer Bobbi, Screenwriter: David Beck, Jennifer Bobbi, Producer: David Beck, Alexandra Grey, Catriona Rubenis-Stevens, Distributor: Gravitas Ventures)
¶ The Six Triple Eight / USA 2024 (Director: Tyler Perry, Screenwriter: Tyler Perry, Producer: Nicole Avant, Angi Bones, Carlota Espinosa, Tyler Perry, Keri Selig, Tony L. Strickland, Distributor: Netflix)
¶ *† ◊ The Substance / USA 2024 (Director: Coralie Fargeat, Screenwriter: Coralie Fargeat, Producer: Tim Bevan, Coralie Fargeat, Eric Fellner, Distributor: MUBI)
§ Suffer / USA 2024 (Director: Kerry Carlock, Nicholas Lund-Ulrichl, Screenwriter: Kerry Carlock, Nicholas Lund-Ulrichl, Producer: Kerry Carlock, Nicholas Lund-Ulrichl, Jennifer Sorenson, Distributor: N/A)
§ Sync / USA 2024 (Director: Carolina Alvarez, Screenwriter: Carolina Alvarez, Producer: Carolina Alvarez, Suhashini Krishnan, Tessa Markle, Distributor: N/A)
* † Tarot / USA 2024 (Director: Spenser Cohen, Anna Halberg, Screenwriter: Spenser Cohen, Anna Halberg, Producer: Scott Glassgold, Elysa Koplovitz Dutton, Leslie Morgenstein, Distributor: Screen Gems)
* Trigger Warning / USA 2024 (Director: Mouly Surya, Screenwriter: John Brancato, Josh Olson, Halley Gross, Producer: Esther Hornstein, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Distributor: Netflix)
*§ Uglies / USA 2024 (Director: McG, Screenwriter: Jacob Forman,Vanessa Taylor, Whit Anderson, Producer: John Davis, Jordan Davis, McG, Robyn Meisinger, Dan Spilo, Mary Viola, Distributor: Netflix)
* † Venom: The Last Dance / USA 2024 (Director: Kelly Marcel, Screenwriter: Kelly Marcel, Producer: Avi Arad, Tom Hardy, Kelly Marcel, Hutch Parker, Amy Pascal, Matt Tolmach, Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment)
* † The Watchers / USA 2024 (Director: Ishana Night Shyamalan, Screenwriter: Ishana Night Shyamalan, Producer: Nimitt Mankad, Ashwin Rajan, M. Night Shyamalan, Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures)
*† ¶ ◊ Wicked / USA 2024 (Director: Jon M. Chu, Screenwriter: Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Producer: Marc Platt, David Stone, Distributor: Universal Pictures)
§ Witchy Ways / USA 2024 (Director: Jane Clark, Screenwriter: Jane Clark, Producer: Jane Clark, Marem Hassler, Ainara Landon, Distributor: N/A)
* Woman of the Hour / USA 2024 (Director: Anna Kendrick, Screenwriter: Ian McDonald, Producer: Roy Lee, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, Miri Yoon, Distributor: Netflix)
§ Year One / USA 2024 (Director: Lauren Loesberg, Screenwriter: Lauren Loesberg, Producer: Imani Davis, Dasha Gorin, Julia Relova, Distributor: N/A)
About ReFrame
Founded and led by Sundance Institute and Women In Film, Los Angeles (WIF), ReFrame is an initiative that employs a unique strategy: a peer-to-peer approach, in which ReFrame Ambassadors engage with senior industry decision-makers at over 50 Partner Companies to implement ReFrame systemic change programs. The initiative’s goals are to provide research, support, and a practical framework that can be used by Partner companies to mitigate bias during the creative decision-making and hiring process, celebrate successes, and measure progress toward a more gender-representative industry on all levels.
The ReFrame Council, which leads the strategic direction of the organization with ReFrame Director Andria Wilson Mirza, includes the initiative’s founding members, WIF Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer, former Sundance CEO Keri Putnam, and Oscar-winning producer, WIF President Emeritas and founder of Welle Entertainment Cathy Schulman, alongside Channing Dungey (Chairman, Warner Bros. Television Group), Franklin Leonard (Founder, The Black List), Rena Ronson (Head of UTA Independent Film Group), and Michelle Satter (Founding Senior Director, Artist Programs, Sundance Institute). ReFrame is made possible by support from Netflix’s Creative Equity Fund, IMDbPro, WME, Adobe and Pivotal Ventures.
About IMDbPro
IMDbPro is the essential resource for entertainment industry professionals. This membership service empowers professionals with information and features designed to help them achieve success throughout all stages of their career. IMDbPro premium membership includes the following: detailed contact and representation information; tools for members to manage and showcase their IMDb profile, including selecting their primary images and the credits they are best “known for”; exclusive STARmeter rankings determined by page views on IMDb; the IMDbPro app for iPhone, iPad, and Android; IMDbPro Track, which empowers members to receive personalized entertainment industry news and notifications on the people and film and TV projects they want to follow; and a convenient feature that generates custom digital assets to promote their work on social media and other platforms. IMDbPro is a division of IMDb, the world’s most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows, and celebrities. Industry professionals can join IMDbPro today at www.imdbpro.com. Follow IMDbPro on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
About IMDb
IMDb is the world’s most popular and authoritative source for information on movies, TV shows, and celebrities. Hundreds of millions of customers all over the world rely on IMDb to discover and decide what to watch, advance their professional entertainment careers through IMDbPro, and grow their businesses using IMDb data and trending insights. Products and services to help fans decide what to watch and where to watch it include: the IMDb website for desktop and mobile devices; apps for iOS and Android; and X-Ray on Prime Video. For entertainment industry professionals, IMDb provides IMDbPro and Box Office Mojo. IMDb licenses information from its vast and authoritative database to third-party businesses worldwide; learn more at developer.imdb.com. IMDb is an Amazon company. For more information, visit imdb.com/press and follow @IMDb.
About Sundance Institute
As a champion and curator of independent stories, the nonprofit Sundance Institute provides and preserves the space for artists across storytelling media to create and thrive. Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, the Institute’s signature labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. Sundance Collab, a digital community platform, brings a global cohort of working artists together to learn from Sundance advisors and connect with each other in a creative space, developing and sharing works in progress. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences and artists to ignite new ideas, discover original voices, and build a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Through the Sundance Institute artist programs, we have supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Big Sick, Bottle Rocket, Boys Don’t Cry, Boys State, Call Me by Your Name, Clemency, CODA, Dìdi (弟弟), Drunktown’s Finest, The Farewell, Fire of Love, Flee, The Forty-Year-Old Version, Fruitvale Station, Half Nelson, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Hereditary, Honeyland, The Infiltrators, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Little Woods, Love & Basketball, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Mudbound, Nanny, One Child Nation, Pariah, Raising Victor Vargas, Requiem for a Dream, Reservoir Dogs, RBG, Sin Nombre, Sorry to Bother You, Strong Island, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), Swiss Army Man, A Thousand and One, Top of the Lake, Walking and Talking, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, and Zola. Through year-round artist programs, the Institute also nurtured the early careers of such artists as Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson, Gregg Araki, Darren Aronofsky, Lisa Cholodenko, Ryan Coogler, Nia DaCosta, The Daniels, David Gordon Green, Miranda July, James Mangold, John Cameron Mitchell, Kimberly Peirce, Boots Riley, Ira Sachs, Quentin Tarantino, Taika Waititi, Lulu Wang, and Chloé Zhao. Support Sundance Institute in our commitment to uplifting bold artists and powerful storytelling globally by making a donation at sundance.org/donate. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube.
About WIF
Founded in 1973 as Women In Film, Los Angeles, WIF has been fighting for gender equity for more than 50 years. Its advocacy, career programs, and research efforts are a driving force for increasing gender representation in Hollywood. WIF works to dismantle gender bias in the screen industries by building the pipeline, sustaining careers, and advocating for change. Membership is open to all screen industry professionals, and more information can be found on our website: wif.org. WIF is led by Chief Executive Officer Kirsten Schaffer and Chair of the Board of Directors Syrinthia Studer. Follow WIF on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.
