That Disney made the deal of a lifetime when it bought Marvel for $4.000 billion in August 2009 is undeniable. With over $23.000 billion in box office receipts and counting, the films are a global phenomenon that continues to break records in terms of revenue and all kinds of other metrics. So, to show you just how poor you are, we bring you the Top 10 highest-grossing Marvel movies . As you'll see, the numbers are staggering, and superhero fever is still going strong.
Neither Superman nor Batman can compete; Marvel reigns supreme at the superhero box office, and with authority . Their films rake in sums that mere mortals can scarcely imagine.
And, among all of them, we are going to analyze the 10 installments that have raised the most money.
The curious story of an unprecedented box office success
Those of us who are older remember how Marvel was on the verge of bankruptcy in the 90s . To stay afloat, they sold off whatever they could. The rights to Spider-Man went to Sony, the X-Men to Fox, and their Hulk to Universal Studios…
Nobody wanted the company, but film studios were mildly interested in the most popular characters . At that time, the superhero genre wasn't very popular, but some films, like Sam Raimi's Spider-Man , began its revival.
However, it wasn't until Disney bought Marvel for $4.000 billion in 2009 that a truly well-oiled money-making machine was in place . Divided into perfectly planned phases, and with Kevin Feige at the helm, who seems to transform everything he touches, Marvel began to break records.
And, interestingly, it's possible that it could have been even more profitable for Disney.
In Bob Iger's book (current Disney president and former CEO) it is revealed that he proposed to the then manager, Michael Eisner, to buy Marvel. However, many executives rejected the idea. They saw Marvel as too borderline for such a familiar brand.
However, the second time was the charm, and it's Disney's money-making machine, spearheaded by these 10 highest-grossing Marvel movies.
The list opens with a film that generated controversy in its day.
10. Captain Marvel. 1.128 million dollars
The same old crowd, with the same old tactics, tried to sabotage Captain Marvel from their mothers' basements surrounded by bags of Doritos.
What if orchestrated campaigns, what if boycotts on Rotten Tomatoes…
They were geniuses, it was a masterpiece, no pun intended. So much so, that it propelled Captain Marvel to tenth place as the highest-grossing film in the global franchise, with the staggering figure of over $1.128 billion.
9. Spider-Man: Far from home. 1.131 million dollars
The clash between Spider-Man and Mysterio propelled the film to ninth place at the box office. Tom Holland fit the role perfectly, and his success was undoubtedly boosted by the success of the Avengers: Endgame phenomenon.
However, as we will see, Spider-Man will prove that he is capable of flying to the very top on his own.
8. Captain America: Civil War. 1.153 million dollars
Although the events of the Civil War arc in the comics change a lot , this incarnation of Captain America takes the title of Marvel's eighth highest-grossing film.
Some say it's because it's practically an Avengers movie , since everyone's in it . Whatever the reason, when Marvel considers the most powerful superheroes on the planet to be teaming up, we happily buy tickets.
7. Iron-Man 3. $1.214 billion
The one who started it all closed his trilogy in style . Iron Man , a relatively minor superhero in the comics, was boosted by the enormous charisma that Robert Downey Jr. brought to the character.
His farewell to solo releases boosted him to seventh place in a film that was somewhat strange in its treatment of some things (like the evil Mandarin ), but which worked very well.
6. Black Panther. 1.346 million dollars
Many top-grossing Marvel movies bring together multiple main characters. That makes the attraction that they all generate together make more fans go through the box.
However, Black Panther deserves credit for doing it on its own . Chadwick Boseman's passing is a tragedy, and it was a landmark moment for the Black community, which rallied around the debut (according to Disney) of the first Black superhero in a leading role.
Because in that Disney world, Wesley Snipes and his Blade don't seem to exist, although his own interpretation of the legendary vampire hunter will soon arrive.
5. Avengers: Age of Ultron. 1.402 million dollars
The Avengers are the most powerful superheroes on the planet and at the box office , because when they get together, (almost) no one can touch them.
Through sheer force and inertia, the very mediocre Age of Ultron (which lasted only a few moments in the movie) wastes one of the best baddies in comics.
We didn't care about that, because we ran to the box office anyway.
4. The Avengers. 1.518 million dollars
There was a lot of anticipation to see the first meeting of The Avengers and the truth is that the movie lived up to expectations.
A Loki that gives a good reply, a Hulk that looks like the Hulk, before totally decaffeinating it in the following installments and, in general, an enjoyable film that, until recently, was the eternal bronze medal in the list of highest grossing films. from Marvel.
But he came. Or rather, they arrived.
3. Spider-Man: No way home. 1.893 million dollars
Neither the pandemic, nor the Avengers, nor anything else mattered. Spider-Man and his multiverse entanglements shot to third place like a bolt of lightning.
The reunion of the three Spider-Men and the appearance of the most iconic villains from all the Spider-Man sagas delighted the audience. The sheer number of rumors that heightened expectations about who would appear and how didn't hurt either.
Nostalgia always sells.
2. Avengers: Infinity War. 2.048 million dollars
The first two spots are a foregone conclusion; the first part of the confrontation against Thanos, a villain who was slowly being hinted at throughout the previous Avengers storyline, appears for a first part that left that ending that astonished many.
With over $2.000 billion in box office revenue and sky- high hype for the next installment, Infinity War has earned the silver medal that is very difficult for any other Marvel movie to achieve.
If Spider-Man couldn't do it, it's highly unlikely that any of the planned future installments will.
Such a group of heroes simply cannot be brought together again, nor can the stew be cooked with so much time and care. DC could have learned a lot from how Marvel set up these movies.
1. Avengers: Endgame. 2.797 million dollars
They tried everything; there was talk that it would be the first film in history to reach $3.000 billion in box office revenue. They even tried some strange re-release tricks, but they couldn't beat James Cameron's Avatar .
However, it is the second highest-grossing film in history and the highest-grossing Marvel film.
And it will almost certainly stay that way, because it will be practically impossible to bring together a similar number of superheroes and front-line characters.
So you see, dizzying figures and one success after another is what defines Marvel's journey on the big screen. In fact, the avalanche does not stop and more and more films will continue to come. The top positions will hardly change because, really, they are unrepeatable phenomena.