‘kpop Demon Hunters’ Was A ‘bright Spot’ In A Year Of Declining Diversity Among Streaming Films, Study Finds

Diversity successful past year’s streaming films followed nan same downward inclination arsenic theatrical releases, a caller study found, pinch nan percent of group of colour directing, penning and starring films diminishing.

In past years, streaming was considered a much accessible outlet for early-career female aliases BIPOC filmmakers, which was reflected successful information astir gender and group representation. According to Part 2 of UCLA’s 2026 Hollywood Diversity Report, which was released Wednesday and analyzed each of nan original English-language films distributed connected awesome streaming platforms successful 2025, that inclination reversed crossed each class studied.

The stock of streaming films directed by women declined to conscionable complete 23%, nan lowest it’s been since 2022, erstwhile nan yearly study began analyzing streaming and theatrical films separately. Among those female directors, an overwhelming mostly (81%) were allotted budgets beneath $20 million, while much than a 4th of nan films directed by achromatic men exceeded $50 million.

Only astir 31% of streaming films past twelvemonth had BIPOC directors, down 10% since 2024, erstwhile nan proportionality much intimately reflected U.S. demographics.

“This is an manufacture successful flux — and successful reverse, particularly erstwhile it comes to diversification,” Darnell Hunt, UCLA’s executive vice chancellor and provost and nan report’s co-founder, said successful a statement.

“Unfortunately, arsenic we’ve seen pinch theatrical films, we’re now seeing nan effect of this existent governmental ambiance successful very meaningful and actual ways,” he continued. “As budgets tighten, opportunities for filmmakers of underrepresented backgrounds are ever nan first to beryllium squeezed out.”

Despite losing crushed down nan scenes and successful beforehand of nan camera, women and group of colour continued to thrust streaming viewership successful 2025, nan study found.

The year’s biggest streaming hit, “KPop Demon Hunters,” was besides nan most-watched original Netflix movie of each time, and according to Neilsen ratings, it was astir streamed by women successful Latinx households, followed by women successful Asian and Black households. The study acknowledged nan movie arsenic a “bright spot” successful a disappointing twelvemonth for diversity.

Michael Tran, a sociologist who co-authored nan report, noted that nan film’s effect and net imaginable could person been moreover greater pinch a theatrical release.

“It was a missed opportunity for theaters,” Tran said. “We’ve tracked really divers films thin to win astatine nan container office, present and abroad. For ‘KPop Demon Hunters,’ we could person been talking astir record-breaking container agency receipts successful summation to topping nan ratings.”

When “KPop Demon Hunters” did concisely surface successful theaters — for 2 days past August, pinch complete 1,750 locations domestically and much than 1,150 sold-out screenings — it was nan No. 1 movie that weekend, earning astir $18 cardinal successful summons income (though Netflix does not study nonstop container agency figures).

Data from nan study besides indicated that streaming films pinch astatine slightest somewhat divers casts tended to outperform successful position of assemblage and societal media engagement.

However, wide formed diverseness successful streaming films declined successful 2025. For nan first clip since 2022, films pinch a majority-BIPOC formed did not correspond nan plurality of streaming titles. Most notably, nan percent of lead actors of colour dropped from a precocious of 51% successful 2024 to 36% successful 2025.

Report authors called it an “industry-wide chilling effect” reminiscent of a akin decline successful diverseness among theatrical films successful 2024. That said, streaming films continued to prima BIPOC leads much often than their theatrical counterparts, nan study found.

The wide number of streaming films besides declined. While nan yearly UCLA study typically examines nan apical 100 original, English-language movies crossed streaming platforms, this time, location were only 89 for researchers to analyze.

In summation to studying title and gender demographics successful nan movie industry, nan study besides examined on-camera representations of disability. According to nan study, while adults pinch a disablement dress up astatine slightest 26% of nan U.S. population, actors pinch a known disablement represented 6.5% of full streaming movie actors, which is successful statement pinch nan erstwhile year.

According to nan study’s authors, streamers hoping to compete successful a fast-paced, globalized marketplace should summation their diverseness efforts successful ray of these results.

“Kids nether 18 are already mostly BIPOC. There’s nary going backmost if a workplace wants to beryllium profitable and applicable to Gen Z and Gen Alpha,” said study co-founder and co-author Ana-Christina Ramón. “Severing each marque loyalty now will only make it much difficult to regain semipermanent subscribers successful nan future.”