Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” was a poster child for the power of inclusion when it broke box office records in 2023, but the $1.45 billion-grossing movie is only the 119th most inclusive film made in the past five years, according to the Inclusion List.
The annual list — presented by Dr. Stacy L. Smith and the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, in collaboration with the Adobe Foundation — is a data-driven ranking that identified the 150 most inclusive films from 2019 to 2023 and ranks a single year’s films across gender, race/ethnicity, LGBTQ+, disability and age representation.
“Our goal with the Inclusion List is to celebrate those who are showcasing and working with exceptional talent from all backgrounds,” stated Dr. Smith in a press release announcing the researchers’ findings. “In the second year of its release, the newest iteration of the Inclusion List spotlights films, filmmakers, and distributors who clearly demonstrate that inclusion is a part of great entertainment.”
Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “The Woman King” (2022) remains the most inclusive film from the past five years, while 2023’s “A Thousand and One” — from writer-director A. V. Rockwell, produced by Lena Waithe and Rishi Rajani and starring Teyana Taylor — joins the list at No. 2. “Bottoms,” “The Color Purple” and “The Blackening” also ranked in the top 10 (No. 7, 9 and 10, respectively).
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For context, “Barbie” score for gender inclusion ranks in the top 3.33% of films surveyed, while “A Thousand and One” ranks in the top 0.67% of those films.
Joining “Barbie” and “A Thousand and One” as top performers in terms of representation of girls and women on screen and behind the camera are “You Hurt My Feelings,” “The Marvels” and “Priscilla.” Scoring highest for representation of underrepresented racial/ethnic groups on screen and behind the camera, were “Joy Ride,” “A Thousand and One,” “The Color Purple,” “House Party” and “The Blackening.” Top scorers for LGBTQ+ representation were “All of Us Strangers,” “Theater Camp,” “Bottoms,” “Knock at the Cabin” and “Saltburn.” People with disabilities factored most in “What Happens Later,” “John Wick: Chapter 4,” “Moving On,” “Golda” and “The Holdovers.” Finally, “Book Club: The Next Chapter,” “Moving On,” “Marlowe,” “The Miracle Club” and “Golda” notched the highest scores for the representation of people age 65 and older on screen.
Other 2023 films that rank among the Inclusion List’s top 150 are “Origin,” “American Fiction,” “Past Lives,” “Chevalier,” “Journey to Bethlehem,” “Sound of Freedom,” “Love Again,” “Saw X,” “Transformers: Rise of the Beast,” “80 for Brady,” “Haunted Mansion,” “Missing,” “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret,” “It Lives Inside,” “About My Father,” “Silent Night,” “65,” “Big George Foreman,” “Cocaine Bear,” “Blue Beetle,” “Creed III” and “The Creator.”
While the first installment of the Inclusion List spotlighted producers who prioritized representation, this time, five directors and eight editors were recognized for the inclusivity of their work in film over the past five years. “By celebrating these artists, our goal was to showcase the voices behind the stories that bring inclusive stories to audiences,” Dr. Smith noted.
Out of more than 400 directors evaluated during this period, Catherine Hardwicke (“Mafia Mamma,” “Miss Bala”); Olivia Wilde (“Booksmart,” “Don’t Worry Darling”); Destin Daniel Cretton (“Just Mercy,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”); Reinaldo Marcus Green (“King Richard,” “Joe Bell”); and Kasi Lemmons (“Harriet,” “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody”) worked with the highest percentage of women and people of color as department/unit heads across the films assessed.
Annette Davey (“Poms,” “Together, Together” “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3”); Anne McCabe (“Land,” “Dear Evan Hansen”); Blair McClendon (“Aftersun,” “The Assistant”); Catrin Hedström (“The Marvels,” “Candyman”); Hilda Rasula (“American Fiction,” “Moving On”); Harry Yoon (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings,” “Minari”); Mary Jo Markey (“The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Charlie’s Angels”); and Terilyn A. Shropshire (“Miss Bala,” “The Woman King”) were named the most inclusive editors for having two or more films on the list.
The top distributors were also ranked by the number of films appearing on the list with Universal Pictures again leading the major studios with 29 films making the list, followed by Sony Pictures Entertainment (21 films) and Warner Bros. (18 films). A24 led the list of independent distributors with 14 movies, followed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) with 10 films and Bleecker Street in third with nine.
The full report and methodology are available at inclusionlist.org, as well as a breakdown of the 100 most inclusive broadcast and cable series from the 2021-22 broadcast season and streaming series from 2021 to 2023.
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