Despite the skepticism of some (predominantly male) Marvel Comic Universe fans, Brie Larson's Captain Marvel has made a heroic debut at the US Box Office, raking in over $155 million in its opening weekend.
The huge debut is likely to see the movie, which is the first woman-lead superhero pic from Marvel Studios and Disney, land in the top 20 domestic openings of all time.
Directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, the superhero flick opened on International Women's Day, leaning into its inherent girl power.
It's not the first time a superhero film has been rewarded by audiences for its diverse casting. In the last year alone we've seen a trend of successful superhero movies, including Wonder Woman, Black Panther and Spiderverse - each of which has exceeded expectations and helped prove that audiences are hungry for diverse representation on screen.
Black Panther around the world last year, becoming only the third film in history to gross over $700 million in the United States and Canada - taking a worldwide box office total of $1.346 billion.
Similarly, in 2017 Patty Jenkins' Wonder Woman totaled the box office at $821.74 million, making it the of all time.
With a black lead, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse last year became the animated film in history, bringing in $35.4 Million over the course of its opening weekend.
Hollywood is a numbers town and the box office figures don't lie - which is why movie execs will be busy planning a fresh slate of diverse superhero films.
It's clearly what audiences want.
