“I wish they would have gone further because it’s more business as usual rather than we need to push the industry to think more critically about who they hire.”

Some companies have been more proactive. Half of Universal Pictures’ 2019 releases, which included “Us,” “Queen & Slim” and “Ma,” starred female protagonists. The studio, the lone major studio headed by a woman in Donna Langley, also led in female directors, writers and producers, as well as lead roles from underrepresented groups. The Walt Disney Co., which dominated the box office in 2019, accounted for arguably the largest impact with diversely cast blockbusters like “The Lion King,” “Aladdin” and “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

Netflix, which only releases its films in brief theatrical runs fell outside the study’s scope, but still drew Smith’s praise for “ushering in a different reality” by hiring female directors at a pace far above that of the studios over the past decade.

Other companies have reorganized at the top. MGM this summer revamped Orion Pictures as a hub for diverse moviemaking with producer Alana Mayo (formerly head of Michael B. Jordan’s production company) as its president.

“That represents what we need to see,” said Smith. “That reflects exactly what needs to be observed quickly if we’re going to see 2021 or 2022 look different than this 2019 report.”