A new study published in Frontiers in Communication found that films written by women tend to generate higher profits for studios compared to those written by men, even though they often receive smaller budgets. The research compared the financial performance of films with different gender compositions in screenwriting and directing roles. It found that films written by women but not directed by women had a 34% higher median profit than those written and directed solely by men, despite having similar budgets. However, the top 1% of films by production budget—those with the highest spending—were almost entirely male-dominated, with none involving a woman in the director’s role. The study analyzed data from nearly 200,000 movies released between 1994 and 2023, including both theatrical and non-theatrical films. For a subset of over 4,200 films, researchers gathered information on production budgets and worldwide box office revenue. Over the 30-year period, the percentage of films crediting at least one woman as a director or screenwriter increased from 21.5% in 1994 to 29.4% in 2023. Films written by women but not directed by them also showed a higher return on investment (ROI), a measure of how efficiently a film uses its budget to generate profit. These films had an ROI of 1.1, which is 25% higher than the 0.88 ROI for films written and directed exclusively by men. Films with women in both writing and directing roles had similar ROI to male-only films but used about half the budget. Despite this financial edge, films with higher budgets remained overwhelmingly male-dominated. In the top 10% of budgets, 74.8% were male-only productions; in the top 5%, the figure rose to 78.6%, and in the top 1%, it reached 88.6%. No film directed by a woman made it into the top 1% of budgets during the study period. However, among the 44 films in the top 1% of budgets, the five written by women but not directed by them had a median profit nearly $113 million higher than male-only films, even with slightly smaller budgets. Similar trends were seen in the top 5% and 10% of budgets. The study did not investigate the reasons behind these patterns, but past research suggests that decision-makers in the film industry may prefer familiar choices to avoid risk. The researchers also noted that the growth in women’s participation in film, despite movements like #MeToo, has not led to a significant acceleration in their representation. Additionally, the study’s financial data mainly covered U.S. theatrical releases, and some groups, such as women directors, were too small for deeper analysis. The study also relied on first names to determine gender, which could underrepresent women from certain cultural or social backgrounds.