Beyond providing inspiration to aspiring and acclaimed storytellers alike, the Hollywood Diversity Report offers a compelling economic argument for inclusivity that should perk the ears of top executives: diverse films and television series consistently draw in high earnings among popular audiences, which are increasingly diverse. 

“Diversity sells at the box office,” said Ramón, co-creator of the report series and founding Director of the Entertainment and Media Research Initiative (EMRI) at the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE). “Films with more diverse casts keep winning.”

Ramón noted the most recent report revealed that films with diverse casts topped almost every metric of success, including median box office earnings and rank. In addition, the report showed that moviegoers of color bought the majority of opening weekend tickets for more than half of the top 20 films of 2025.  

Hunt, who co-founded the report with Ramón, recalled specifically designing the report to demonstrate the relationship between diversity and economic outlook in Hollywood. Hunt summarized the feedback he and Ramón received from studio heads as they assessed the goals of the report: “If you can tie [diversity] to the bottom line and show them that it’s about money you’re leaving on the table, then maybe people would take notice.” 

With nearly 30 installments in 13 years, the Hollywood Diversity Report has continuously demonstrated that diversity delivers economic success, yet representation in popular film and television lags behind. Investing in diversity is still considered risky by the executives who hold the money. 

“What a profound economic and moral contradiction: the audience is diverse, the profits flow from diverse audiences, yet the creative power remains concentrated,” said Sood, who teaches marketing and behavioral decision making at the UCLA Anderson School of Management. 

“Studios are still run largely by a group of people that do not look like the audience…That’s how the system reinforces itself,” he said. 

Dean Shimizu, who moderated the event, emphasized the importance of reliable, university-supported research to demonstrate the need for change: “The Hollywood Diversity Report is a roadmap that clarifies where the work [of inclusivity] can deepen and expand and how fully the conditions of cinema are evolving,” she said.  

In her introduction, Shimizu situated this evolution as part of an ongoing process within the historical context of the L.A. Rebellion, a film social movement driven by UCLA students in the late 1960s, which created space for Black, multiracial and global voices in the Hollywood film industry through protest and subversive film techniques. Ten films created by UCLA student filmmakers during the L.A. Rebellion were later inducted into the National Registry of the Library of Congress for shaping American cinema. 

Ramón shared that younger generations continue to give her hope as changemakers in the industry: “If Hollywood is not willing to change, then these kids [Gen Z and Gen Alpha]… they’re going to make their own system,” she said. “Kids under 18 are majority BIPOC, so change is already here in terms of the population.”

To close the panel, Canals encouraged students and creatives in the audience to remain unapologetic and “turn the volume up” on their authentic voices, believing that the persistence of storytellers and artists is what will continue to push the industry forward, and bring culture with it.