The situation for minority directors was even worse, with only 4.3 percent of the top-grossing films of 2022 helmed by a person of color — a decrease from 4.5 percent in 2021 and 6.4 percent in 2019.
Hollywood has come under fire for its lack of diversity in recent years, with critics calling for a greater representation of women and people of color in major film roles and behind the camera.
Despite this, the study found that the entertainment industry is making little progress in this area.
Despite Hollywood’s push for diversity in its movies and TV shows, a new study has revealed that the number of ethnic minority movie directors in the top 100 has decreased.
In 2021, 27.3 percent of directors in the top 100 were ethnic minorities, but this number dropped to 20.7 percent in 2022. Notably, the Walt Disney Company, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures, and STX Entertainment did not hire any women directors for their 2022 releases.
This is a concerning development, as it appears that Hollywood is having difficulty following its own lecture.
In a similar vein, Disney and Universal Pictures have both made significant strides in the hiring of minority directors to helm their 2022 theatrical releases. Disney has four movies in 2022 helmed by ethnic minorities, including Ryan Coogler, who directed Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Universal Pictures has five of its 2022 theatrical releases helmed by non-white directors, including Jordan Peele’s Nope.
The news has been welcomed by diversity advocates, who have long sought to see a greater representation of minorities in the film industry.