Hollywood’s awards season may not show it, but the most popular movies in the United States are increasingly diverse. That is the finding of a report released this week. It comes from the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative at the University of Southern California. The report found that more of 2019’s top movies had women or members of racial minorities as lead characters than ever before. Researchers with the university examined the 100 most popular films in North American theaters. They found that 31 movies had leads or co-leads from an underrepresented racial group. That represents an increase of four films from 2018 and is nearly three times higher than the number 10 years ago. The researchers found similar gains for female lead actors.

What does diverse mean?
star in a traditional role
a significant increase in films
made up of things that are different
similar gains for female leads
How many popular films did the researchers examine?
100
10
31
4
More movies had members of racial minorities.
lead characters
university initiatives
racial minorities
women and children