<p>How do performance returns affect gender inequalities in the arts? While several studies document unequal returns to performance in favor of men in non-artistic work environments, little is known about this for artistic industries, where evaluation is often highly subjective and driven by past reputational achievements. Here, we focus on directors in the film industry, where by contrast reputation can be measured through a consistent, and transparent metric – theatrical admissions. Through longitudinal data on the careers and revenue of French directors, we show that the effect of box-office success on survival chances as well as future earnings are much stronger in the case of women directors – by a ratio of 2-to-1 at minimum across models -, even when controlled for differences in career paths, agent representation, genre, awards, age, and various contract variables. The effect on earnings is stronger for low and mid-achieving women, whereas the gender gap in survival chances widens with longer careers. Finally, these results hold primarily for the commercial sector, as opposed to arthouse movies for which the performance-reward gap is much smaller. We suggest possible interpretations, such as the lack or prior relevant experience for female talent, preventing future opportunities.</p>