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Speaking Roles for Female Characters and Women Over 60 Declined in 2023’s Top-Grossing Films, New Study Shows


Despite 'Barbie's' cultural moment, the latest 'It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World' report shows that the percentage of female characters decreased.

A new study indicates that the tenets that contributed to “Barbie’s” $1.4 billion box office success and pop culture dominance — namely featuring a female-led ensemble — was the exception rather than the rule in Hollywood. “Because ‘Barbie’ claimed so much of our cultural space in 2023, female characters may have seemed more abundant in films last year,” stated Lauzen summarizing the study’s findings. And despite performances by Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton and Rita Moreno in films like “80 for Brady” and “Book Club: The Next Chapter,” roles for actresses over 60 are few and far between.

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