Hollywood has improved its diversity record in terms of female characters and people of colour in its most successful films, a study has found.

The Annenberg Inclusion Initiative analysed the 100 highest grossing films released in the US in 2018 and found that 40 of them contained a female lead or co-lead, compared to 32 in 2017, and 33 in 2018. The current number is the highest since the study began in 2007.

Furthermore, the study found that diversity within the area was also improving: of the 40, 11 films contained lead characters from what were described as “under-represented racial/ethnic groups”, and 11 that contained characters aged 45 or over. This compares to 4 and 5 in 2017, respectively, in each grouping.

The wider picture on diversity also showed an increase, with 28 films containing lead or co-lead characters from under-represented groups, up from 21 in 2017. This contrasts dramatically with the study’s first total, in 2007, of 13, and even more so with the lowest ever count, in 2011, of nine.

Films cited in the report as contributing to the improvement include Marvel superhero movie Black Panther and Singapore-set romcom Crazy Rich Asians.

Dr Stacy L Smith, director of the Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, said in a statement: “2018 offers hope that industry members have taken action to create content that better reflects the world in which we live, and the box office seems to have rewarded them for it … The data shows us that it is possible for change to be achieved.”