Charlie Jane Anders writes:

There's never been a successful movie about a female superhero. And lately, there's been lots of talk about whether such a thing could even happen. But superhero movies are just action movies with a slight twist — and there have been plenty of successful female-led action movies. See for yourself.

As we've discussed before, superheroes aren't really a genre, they're a collection of other genres smushed together. (Try explaining how the Spectre and the Incredible Hulk belong to the same genre.) The movies below mostly fit into the "action adventure" or straight-up "action movie" molds, and most of them have some fantastical elements. For the most part, these have a female lead, rather than a prominently featured supporting character or sidekick.

Also, we left out animated films, and foreign films — because it's harder to judge the success or failure of movies made overseas.

Wow, I did not realize there were so many female action heroes!