this post was submitted on 25 May 2026
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Box office hit films are four times more likely to star a talking animal than a woman over 60, according to a new survey by Age Without Limits.

The anti-ageism campaign studied the 100 highest performing films released in the UK in 2023, 2024 and 2025, and found that while five starred an older woman, about 20 featured creatures who chat.

Meanwhile six starred a male actor called Chris – of which Chris Pratt accounted for half.

However, while two of the remaining Chris instances (Pine and Hemsworth) headlined big budget blockbusters, the sixth – Christian Friedel – was co-lead in an acclaimed arthouse film: Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest (2024). Friedel is known only to his friends as Chris.

The five films starring an older woman that made the top 100 chart in the UK over the three year period were Allelujah (2023), My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (2023), Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023), The Substance (2024) and Freakier Friday (2025).

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[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Honestly this article has kinda annoyed me.

Their data presentation is terrible, it doesn't say how many men over 60 "starred" in those same movies. I'm not saying their conclusion is wrong, just that with the information presented there's no way of knowing if it's true or not.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

cinema has always featured younger people.

[–] AlternatePersonMan@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Just speculating here, but 60 year olds probably don't have a lot of epic adventures or sexy romances.

[–] addie@feddit.uk 5 points 1 month ago

That terrible Indiana Jones film with the meerkats has ruined it for everyone else.

[–] Noodles4dinner@hexbear.net 6 points 1 month ago

Wacky grandma movies are praxis

[–] mathemachristian@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I haven't heard of any of those movies, chris pratt is the one from parks and rec? Honestly can't be bothered with yankslop anymore

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 month ago

From Avengers I believe.

[–] 0_o7@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 month ago

Next they're going to say 99% of movies are likely to feature good looking people despite their skills.

Movies and TV have mostly always been about attractive people first, and everything else second.

So, no wonder they are misogynist ageists. As son as the attractiveness fades, they find the next one.

[–] folaht@lemmy.ml 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Maybe it's just me, but I the feeling this article is giving me
is that this article might come across as a tad elitist to me.
Perhaps it's just that the last news story I read was about the US
building incinerators into their ICE ~~concentration~~ camps
and that they're no longer counting the amount of abuse and dead in there.
Somehow that makes me care a little less about the
"pitiful" lives of rich 60+ year old female Anglo-Usonian Hollywood stars
and a little bit more concerned about the fate of men and women
living in the same country being currently arrested for her skin color.

And why are the Usonians lamenting
about 60+ year old women not getting enough film roles?
60+ should be considered retirement age!

The 60+ year old men that are still on Hollywood film are recycled 80s
action franchises. And they don't do well.
Like Indiana Jones was told in the Crystal Skull movie, "You belong in a museum".
There's also the naked gun comedy where a 60+ man play lead role
and they have a 50+ year old woman playing the good-looking love interest,
not early 40s Goldie Hawn presented as hot to a early 30s Kurt Russell in Overboard,
but a late 50s Pamela Anderson where the music goes sexy sax during her appearance,
so advancements of cosmetic technology has already stretched
Hollywood's film beauty age limits for women to what was considered
way too old in the movie "Death Becomes Her".

Also, what talking animal ever got a role?
Have we finally been able to translate orca and (bottlenosed) dolphin speech?
I'm getting confused here. Are we counting roles played or actors?
Because I know a lot of animes out there where most of the girls are really 7000 years old.
And it would mean that the author is lamenting that there's not enough vampire, elves and hobbit movies these days.

[–] ClassIsOver@hexbear.net 0 points 1 month ago (4 children)

What's your favorite movie about a character played by a woman over 60? I'm trying to think of them. I'm also trying to figure out a good recent movie about a character played by a guy named Chris, because the blockbuster slop is rarely anything but slop.

[–] ZeroHora@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 month ago

I can only remember Everything Everywhere All at Once with Michelle Yeoh

[–] RobotToaster@mander.xyz 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I was going to say Jurassic Park, but it turns out the T-rex was only 5 at the time.

Best I can come up with is Mona Marshall being in a Bunch of Digimon and South Park movies.

Also Masako Nozawa has been in all the dragon ball movies.

[–] solrize@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Patrick Stewart was under 60 in Star Trek TNG but he had some good roles after passing 60. He apparently played Captain Ahab in a Moby Dick movie. I haven't seen it, but if you're into that it sounds cool.

[–] iguessimlemming@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 month ago

3 billboards?

[–] minorkeys@sh.itjust.works -1 points 1 month ago

You're not entitled to always get what you want FFS. It isn't always a tragedy and social injustice when you're excluded from the cool club.