Top 10 Most Diverse Films of 2018
And how they fared at the box office.
Written by Li Lai
Other Top 10 Most Diverse Films: 2024 / 2023 / 2022 / 2020 / 2019 / 2018 / 2017
As the founder and editor-in-chief of Mediaversity Reviews, onscreen representation is my bread and butter. There are plenty of wonderful critics who review by traditional metrics, but I started our unique scoring system to find a way to consistently take into account the social and historical context of individual films. For example, did we really need a fourth remake of A Star is Born—a strong directorial debut, to be sure, but one that perpetuates toxic masculinity? And why are we on our ninth adaptation of The Jungle Book, a colonialist relic rehashed through this year’s Mowgli?
In this painfully nostalgic time for cinema, our mission at Mediaversity is all the clearer: We champion fresh stories with new things to say. That’s why we score our reviews not only on technical merit, but on the representation of voices who have been shut out of Hollywood for too long. Specifically, our scores factor in gender parity and racial diversity—and through bonus points or deductions, we also take into account the representation of LGBTQ, adults over 60, disability, minority religions, or diverse body shapes.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. We reviewed just 29 of the 993 films that came out in theaters this year and if we were judging on cultural impact, this list might look a bit different. Movies that master one category like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse with its Afro-Latino lead, A Quiet Place with its inclusion of Deaf talent, or queer-friendly period drama The Favourite may not have made this Top 10 which prioritizes intersectionality, but their successes are profound and pave the way for more diverse storytelling.
So without further ado, here are Mediaversity’s picks of the year!
10. Love, Simon
Mediaversity Score: 4.08/5
Production Budget: $17.0M
Worldwide Gross: $66.3M
9. Blockers
Mediaversity Score: 4.25/5
Production Budget: $21.0M
Worldwide Gross: $93.7M
8. Crazy Rich Asians
Mediaversity Score: 4.33/5
Production Budget: $30.0M
Worldwide Gross: $238.0M
7. BlacKkKlansman
Mediaversity Score: 4.42/5
Production Budget: $15.0M
Worldwide Gross: $88.8M
6. Searching
Mediaversity Score: 4.50/5
Production Budget: $1.0M
Worldwide Gross: $75.1M
5. The Hate U Give
Mediaversity Score: 4.58/5
Production Budget: $23.0M
Worldwide Gross as of December 28, 2018: $32.2M
4. If Beale Street Could Talk
Mediaversity Score: 4.67/5
Production Budget: $12.0M
Worldwide Gross as of December 28, 2018: $1.4M
3. A Wrinkle in Time
Mediaversity Score: 4.75/5
Production Budget: $100.0M
Worldwide Gross: $132.7M
2. Roma
Mediaversity Score: 4.83/5
Production Budget: $15.0M
Worldwide Gross as of December 28, 2018: ~$1.9M
1. Black Panther
Mediaversity Score: 4.92/5
Production Budget: $200.0M
Worldwide Gross: $1.3B
Sources: Box Office Mojo and The Numbers
Mediaversity Reviews grades TV & films on gender, race, LGBTQ, disability, and more. Follow us on Bluesky, Twitter, and Facebook to join the conversation!