Summary
- The success of MCU movies has raised the bar for superhero movies’ box office results, with several of its films grossing over a billion dollars worldwide.
- The Avengers, Iron Man 3, and Avengers: Age of Ultron all made over a billion at the box office, capitalizing on the success of previous films and strong anticipation from audiences before Phase 3 even began.
- Other examples are Black Panther and Captain Marvel, both of which shattered the perception that first solo films couldn’t gross a billion, proving to be major successes.
The list of MCU movies that have made over a billion dollars at the box office includes Avengers films, sequels from franchises like Iron Man, and the beginning of new series like Black Panther. When The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises both broke the billion-dollar barrier in the same year, such a box office milestone was very rare. While billion-dollar movies are still the exception rather than the rule, the MCU’s success has raised the bar when it comes to superhero movies’ box office results.
Marvel’s cinematic success has even led to a perception that blockbusters need to gross more than a billion to be considered a success, which is not necessarily true and depends on each case. That said, several MCU movies, from Marvel’s Phase 2 to Marvel’s Phase 4, have made more than a billion worldwide since The Avengers. In addition, two Marvel films have grossed over $2 billion. Here is a breakdown of every MCU movie that made more than a billion at the box office, in chronological order, with numbers from Box Office Mojo.
11 The Avengers ($1.52 Billion)
2012
The Avengers (2012) was Marvel’s first billion-dollar movie and only the second superhero film in general to gross over a billion at the box office, the first being The Dark Knight. While the Avengers were not the first Marvel team to receive a live-action movie, nothing in the scale of The Avengers had been toned up until that point. From 2008 to 2012, prompted by the success of Iron Man, audiences were slowly introduced to the heroes that would form the Avengers.
The Avengers was the culmination of these films, resulting in a superhero crossover that only comic books seemed capable of delivering and confirming the MCU’s franchise success. While there have been more financially lucrative releases since, this arguably marks The Avengers as the most important MCU movie to have made over a billion dollars, both because it proved this was possible in the first place, and because it showed the potential of the ensemble movies that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would come to be considered synonymous with.
10 Iron Man 3 ($1.21 Billion)
2013
Iron Man and Iron Man 2 made more than $1.2 billion at the box office combined, meaning that Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man films had become a franchise of their own. After Tony Stark stole the show in The Avengers, audiences all over the globe were eager for more of Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark. The fact that Iron Man 3 was the first MCU movie after The Avengers also contributed a lot to the film’s box office performance, as The Avengers had created a strong momentum for the franchise.
A returning beloved character combined with The Avengers’ success a year earlier made Iron Man 3 an unsurprising hit. Given this was also Iron Man’s last solo movie up until the character’s death in Avengers: Endgame, this financial success is also especially noteworthy, ensuring the core MCU hero’s trilogy ended on a major box office note and cementing his legacy as one of the franchise’s most popular and lucrative figures.
9 Avengers: Age Of Ultron ($1.40 Billion)
2015
After The Avengers and Iron Man 3 made more than $2.7 billion combined, the anticipation for Avengers: Age of Ultron could not have been higher. Sequels tend to be bigger than the first film, and something bigger than The Avengers would surely resonate with audiences globally and lead to a strong box office performance. Interestingly, while Age of Ultron was a success, it made less than The Avengers. Generally, Age of Ultron was not as good as the first film, not to mention how the trailers promised a very different movie compared to the final result.
Still, a sequel to The Avengers making grossing over a billion was no surprise. However, it did serve to further underline how the movies would be the core series that the franchise would follow, both in fleshing out more about the team and by establishing that the Avengers films would be consistent box office successes, allowing the MCU to tie itself together through the major crossover storylines that unfolded in these releases.
8 Captain America: Civil War ($1.15 Billion)
2016
Captain America:The Winter Soldier premiered to stellar reviews and went on to make $714 million at the box office. As such, Captain America 3 had the potential to become Captain America’s first billion-dollar movie, especially with the same directors from The Winter Soldier returning to helm the threequel. However, after Captain America 3 was announced to be Captain America:Civil War, the film’s box office potential became even bigger.
Civil War was essentially an Avengers movie, bringing together almost every superhero the MCU had introduced up until that point. The battle between Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers and Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark was set to be a financial success, and the fact the movie makes up such a core part of the franchise’s story means its box office results were perhaps inevitable, especially when also factoring in the general success of Captain America’s movies even without this context. Captain America: Civil War also introduced Spider-Man to the MCU, adding an extra reason for audiences to flock to its release.
7 Black Panther ($1.35 Billion)
2018
In addition to revisiting established Avengers, Captain America:Civil War also introduced two major Marvel heroes into the MCU – Black Panther and Spider-Man. There was a perception that a hero’s first solo film could not gross a billion and that only a bigger sequel could achieve such a milestone. By delivering one of the best MCU films and superhero movies in general, Black Panther proved this perception wrong. The first solo Black Panther opened to $331 million globally, making it a pop culture phenomenon from the start. With a record-breaking second weekend, Black Panther confirmed its status as one of the MCU’s biggest successes.
6 Avengers: Infinity War ($2.05 Billion)
2018
Despite Age of Ultron’s disappointing results, at least compared to The Avengers, the anticipation for Avengers:Infinity War was significant. Marvel’s promise of an Infinity Saga in which every MCU movie would lead into an epic conclusion featuring Thanos, teased in The Avengers’ post-credits scene, was finally about to be paid off. The announcement that Infinity War would be the first part of a bigger story also increased the anticipation for the movie. The Russo Brothers, who had directed two of the most successful MCU films, returned for the Avengers threequel. Infinity War was an event movie that felt bigger than anything superhero movies had done, explaining why it grossed over $2 billion.
5 Captain Marvel ($1.13 Billion)
2019
After Black Panther broke the “first movie cannot make a billion,” perception, Captain Marvel became the first origin-story film to gross more than a billion at the box office. Considering that neither Black Panther nor DC’s Aquaman were origin stories, Captain Marvel remains the only superhero origin movie to gross over a billion. Captain Marvel, the first female-led Marvel movie since 2005’s Elektra, was teased at the end of Infinity War when Nick Fury sent a beep to Captain Marvel. Released between Infinity War and Avengers:Endgame, Captain Marvel became a must-see film for those following the Infinity Saga and premiered to great reviews.
4 Avengers: Endgame ($2.80 Billion)
2019
Avengers:Endgame was the fourth Avengers movie, yet it needs to be looked at as its own chapter in the MCU’s history. Avengers:Infinity War ended on a massive cliffhanger in which Thanos won, most of the Avengers were dead, and half of the universe was gone. Audiences would have to wait a year to know the resolution of this story, which created the perfect marketing campaign for Endgame. In a way, Infinity War’s ending was all the marketing Endgame needed.
The Infinity Saga’s conclusion had an unprecedented $1.2 billion opening weekend and is currently the second highest-grossing movie of all time, only behind Avatar. A comprehensive and compelling look at just how big a scale the MCU’s movies and stories could work on, Avengers: Endgame is now arguably the best example of the potential in superhero cinema, with the MCU no doubt looking to try and mirror this level of financial and critical success in future releases.
3 Spider-Man: Far From Home ($1.13 Billion)
2019
Spider-Man:Homecoming, the first MCU Spider-Man film, grossed $880 million. This was the best performance of a Spider-Man movie up until that point not accounting for inflation, which was expected considering its MCU connections and how well-received Captain America:Civil War’s Spider-Man had been. Still, Homecoming was “another Spider-Man reboot” arriving in theaters only three years after The Spectacular Spider-Man 2. Spider-Man:Far From Home did not have this problem, as Tom Holland’s Spider-Man had already been in multiple films, including Infinity War and Endgame. An epilogue to the Infinity Saga, Far From Home build up from Endgame’s ending and went to gross $1.13 billion.
2 Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.92 Billion)
2021
Spider-Man:No Way Home is the third highest-grossing MCU and the highest-grossing Spider-Man movie of all time. The fact that No Way Home was released on December 2021, when movie theaters were still dealing with the effects of the pandemic, makes No Way Home’s box office even more impressive. Whereas Infinity War and Endgame built their anticipation thanks to Marvel’s decade-long storyline, No Way Home’s success was built mainly on Spider-Man’s movie legacy. The rumors of it being a multiverse movie that would feature Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s returns made No Way Home into a must-see event, and the film delivered the long-awaited crossover featuring Holland, Maguire, and Garfield.
1 Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.029 Billion)
2024
Close
Deadpool & Wolverine joined the ranks of the MCU’s movies to have passed the $1 billion mark swiftly, with Variety reporting that the film hit $1.029 billion on August 11, 2024, just over two weeks after its cinema debut. Combining Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine – albeit a new multiversal variant – was a natural recipe for success, especially given the rapport between the two actors, and the fascinating dynamic that emerges between their characters. As it stands, it seems likely this box office result will increase immensely as the movie continues its run.
Naturally, the huge number Deadpool & Wolverine cameos and references to prior Marvel movies certainly hasn’t hurt the movie’s efforts at the box office, as the amount of detail in the film and its story lends itself to viewers potentially going more than once to watch the release. This is especially true for audiences who hold particular love for the Fox Marvel movies, as Deadpool & Wolverine is dedicated in no small part to the Fox universe and its fate in the overarching superhero landscape.
After the MCU having no movies break $1 billion in three years – a fact in part attributed to the pandemic, but also to some mixed results from Marvel’s releases – Deadpool & Wolverine‘s success sets a promising precedent for the franchise. With major releases like Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, it’s possible the third Deadpool movie’s success will be followed up on relatively soon, continuing Marvel’s movie success.
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount’s Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
Upcoming Films Deadpool & Wolverine , Captain America: Brave New World , Thunderbolts (2025) , Blade (2025) , The Fantastic Four (2025) , Avengers 5 , Avengers: Secret Wars Upcoming TV Shows Agatha: Coven of Chaos , Ironheart , Daredevil: Born Again , Wakanda , Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man , Marvel Zombies , Wonder Man , Vision Quest
Upcoming MCU Movies
- Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025
- Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025
- The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025
- Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025
- Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026
- Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027