Infographic: Only 8 Percent of Sci-Fi Films Feature Protagonists of Color

By Jamilah King Jul 30, 2014

If you’re looking for people of color in your summer sci-fi blockbuster, you’ll be waiting for a long time. A new infographic form Lee & Low Books details just how lacking fantasy films are in the diversity department: only 14 percent of movies feature a female protagonist and only 8 percent feature a protagonist of color.

The study analyzed the top grossing Hollywood sci-fit and fantasy blockbusters as reported by Box Office Mojo.

"The statistics are certainly striking, especially since sci-fi and fantasy belong to a genre that prides itself on creativity and imagination,"  Marissa Lee, co-founder of the international grassroots organization Racebending.com, told Lee & Low. "Hollywood has managed to market some weird stuff, like a tentpole movie about talking teenage turtle martial artists, or cars that change into space robots. I don’t buy that when it comes to marketing diverse leads, suddenly this giant industry can’t do it."

You can read the full study here

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