“People of color saved the theater industry during the pandemic, and they are critical to getting the theater business back to pre-pandemic levels,” Ramon said.
The report states that research shows that increasingly diverse film viewing audiences favor more diverse films.
It said more than 30 percent of minority actors in theatrical and streaming films outperformed others at the box office and in Nielsen ratings, respectively, repeating a pattern from previous years.
“The pandemic has normalized diversity on screen, not only in theaters but also at home,” said co-author Michael Tran.
“Audiences tune in. If Hollywood reverses course on diversity in theaters, they will lose audiences to streaming and international offerings.”