LOS ANGELES — Sorry, Batman. So close, yet so far away, Star-Lord. Better luck next time, Captain Jack Sparrow.

Rather, the three most popular movies at theaters in the United States and Canada in 2017 — “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “Wonder Woman” — were each driven by female characters, something that has not happened in at least 37 years, as far back as full box office data is available. The top comedy of the year, “Girls Trip,” was also anchored by women, as was the top film to play in limited release, “Lady Bird.”

“Women truly emerged as the giants of cinema this year,” said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior comScore analyst, adding Oscar contenders like “The Shape of Water,” “The Post” and “I, Tonya” to the list. “The Post,” starring Meryl Streep as a newspaper publisher coming into her own, has only been playing for 10 days in three cities but has already taken in about $2 million, a strong total that bodes well for its Jan. 12 wide release.