Films with female protagonists at highest number ever in 2016, study reveals

The number of hit films with female protagonists reached an all-time high in 2016, a new study has revealed.

Women reportedly led 29 per cent of the top 100 grossing films of the year - up 7 per cent from the year before.

Female-led films such as Ghostbusters, Bad Moms, Arrival and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story are some examples from a year that also saw a rise in women appearing in mixed cast ensembles.

Felicity Jones starred in Rogue One which earned over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, while Mila Kunis appeared in the sleeper hit Bad Moms which took over $179 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.

Martha Mauzen of The Center for the Study of Women in Film, who authored the study, said: "We have now seen over and over that female characters, when done well, they're good box office.

"It is quite possible that this is something of a quirk that we will not see repeated in the future. It is also possible that introducing female protagonists is somehow an easier, less threatening fix that hiring women directors and writers."