Authentic Cultural Depictions on Film Lead to Higher Box Office Revenue, Study Finds
Sasha Urban editorMovies can earn better reviews and millions more at the box office, if their cultural depictions are authentic and free from stereotypes, a new report from the University of California, Los Angeles and Creative Artists Agency found.The joint study, helmed by UCLA’s Center for Scholars and Storytellers and the Full Story Initiative at CAA, researched the impact of authentic inclusive representation (quantified as AIR scores) on box office performance and critical and audience reception. The study found that each AIR point increase meant a $18.8 million revenue bump for films with a budget of $159 million and more.