Superheroes have been in the movie business for decades. Hits like Superman: The Movie and Tim Burton’s Batman have come and gone. Yet for most of their lives, Hollywood did not take comic book movies seriously. This changed in the 2000s, when X-Men and Spider-Man proved that source material from Marvel and DC could lead to big box office returns.
Since then, superhero movies have become one billion-dollar hit after another. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the biggest brands in the world, and Warner Bros. is working hard to overtake DC. Over the past 20 years, superheroes and even villains have been the subject of some of the biggest movies in history. And we’re here to look at 15 of the best-reviewed superhero movies in history, with a breakdown of each entry. Enjoy.
IN RELATION: Denzel Washington’s “Little Things” weekend box-office win at the Super Bowl for $2.1 million.
Spider-Man 3
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It’s safe to say that the weather has not been kind to Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. While Spider-Man’s first two films helped to consolidate the superhero genre as a successful modern trend, the finale of his trilogy was hailed by critics and fans alike. But this did not diminish its earning potential. For the third time, Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker brought in $894.8 million worldwide, including $151.1 million domestically during its first weekend.
14Dark Knight
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Few films have garnered as much acclaim and financial success as The Dark Knight. Following in the footsteps of Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking 2008 film Batman is still considered one of the best comic book films of all time and arguably one of the best films of its decade. The DC Comics film adaptation, which garnered a wave of praise and media hype for Heath Ledger’s latest portrayal of The Joker, has so far grossed just over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. Yes, the other films on that list have brought in more money, but few can match what The Dark Knight has brought in.
13 Joker
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This is the only item on this list that falls into a gray area. The Joker is not technically a superhero movie by any definition. It focuses almost entirely on the villain, and Bruce Wayne makes only a brief appearance as a child. Regardless, he was close enough to be included, given the DC Comics source material. Regardless, by some criteria, this film could be the most financially successful on the list. Directed by Todd Phillips, who is best known for his hangover films, “The Joker” is a grim character study starring Joaquin Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, a man who becomes a well-known criminal. With a budget of only $55 million, less than half the cost of a typical superhero movie, the film grossed $1.07 billion worldwide. In addition, Phoenix received an Oscar for Best Actor for his work. Considering the low budget, the profits are huge. And all this for a film that Warner Bros. didn’t seem to believe in during development.
12 The Dark Knight resurrects
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After a long wait, The Dark Knight Rises arrived in cinemas in the summer of 2012, offering fans not only a sequel to The Dark Knight, but also the conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Ultimately, and this is a critical point, it could not match its predecessor. Still, it surpassed it at the box office, with worldwide sales of $1.07 billion. The world was looking forward to seeing what he would do next. As a masked crusader, Christian Bale will take on Tom Hardy’s Bane. It was, until recently, the best film in DC history. But a certain member of the Justice League managed to top it. We’ll get to that soon enough.
11 Captain Marvel
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Captain Marvel was much to the Marvel film world. It was the first individual female title in the franchise. It was the beginning of Brie Larson as an iconic character. It was the first MCU film that Anna Boden co-directed with Ryan Flack. It was also a huge success. The 1990s superhero adventure brought in over $1.12 billion at the world box office. This includes a staggering $462.8 million nationally. That only helped the sequel Avengers: Endgame, due out in 2019, as Larson also stars in the impressive team-up as Carol Danvers.
Spider-Man: Away from Home.
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Spider-Man: Far From Home is not only one of the worst superhero movies of all time, it’s also the worst movie produced by Sony. Period. The studio’s previous best film was Skyfall ($1.108 billion), but Tom Holland’s second solo release as Peter Parker was Daniel Craig’s third-best film with 007, which was greatly facilitated by the fact that it was the MCU’s first film since Avengers: Endgame, whose sequel grossed $1.13 billion worldwide. Of this total, 390.5 million came from domestic cinemas, while 741.3 million came from foreign cinemas. It is now Spidey’s best solo film ever made, but not the best with the character. We’ll get to that soon enough.
9Aquaman
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For years, Aquaman was the subject of many tasteless jokes. He was just an awkward superhero who could talk to fish. But DC Comics has worked hard to change that image, and when Jason Momoa was chosen to play the Justice League character, it helped a lot. So much so that when Momoa returned for a solo release directed by James Wan, he exceeded expectations. Aquaman was a huge success with a worldwide box office of $1.14 billion. I did a huge tour overseas, selling $813.4 million, just over 70% of the total. I hate to spoil the list, but Aquaman remains one of the most impressive films of the moment. At least for now.
8 Captain America: Civil War
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It’s easy to take it for granted now, given all that has happened at MCU since then, but Captain America: Civil War was a huge deal when it came out in 2016. Not only did the film feature the classic Marvel Comics scenario of revenants pitting one against another, it also featured the most superheroes we’ve ever seen together in a movie. Not to mention that Chadwick Boseman plays the Black Panther and Tom Holland plays our new Spider-Man. It was a winning formula. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo directed a monster blockbuster that drew huge crowds and raised a total of $1.15 billion. Including a staggering $179.1 million for its opening weekend to the public.
7 Iron Man 3
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Just five years after Robert Downey Jr.’s debut as Tony Stark in Iron Man 2008, the trilogy culminated in Iron Man 3 in 2013. RDJ’s days in the MCU were far from numbered, but it would have been the culmination of his character’s solo appearances. Building on the success of The Avengers, which came out the year before, director Shane Black made a big hit with the franchise. Divergent, even though it’s all these years later, is undeniably a financial success, with $1.21 billion in gross box office revenue. The second phase of the MCU began with a bang, a harbinger of a series of successes to follow in the years to come.
6Incredible 2
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While Pixar didn’t break from the pages of Marvel or DC, it perfectly captured the spirit of superheroes in 2004’s The Incredibles. After years of waiting, director Brad Bird is back with Incredibles 2 in 2018. The wait for Disney and Pixar was worth it, because it paid off. The sequel received rave reviews and brought in $1.24 billion at the box office. This made it one of the most compelling animated films in history and, like some of the best Marvel films, one of the most enticing superheroes in history.
5 Black Panther.
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No one could have predicted the magnitude of Black Panther’s success. Chadwick Boseman made his appearance as T’Challa in Captain America: Civil War. Still, the success of the character’s first solo appearance can be called amazing, to say the least. The Black Panthers brought in $1.34 billion at the box office. This is the biggest one-person superhero movie in history. It is also the first superhero film to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Picture. More than that, it became a pop culture phenomenon that was huge, even by MCU standards. Sadly, Boseman passed away after a battle with cancer. But the legacy he left behind will live on for many years to come.
4 Avengers: The Age of Ultron
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In 2015, Avengers: Age of Ultron had the unenviable task of succeeding 2012’s Avengers. Its success can be debated in terms of history forever. But financially, it was another big win for Disney and Marvel Studios. The second major superhero began its race this weekend with an impressive $191.2 million, reaching a national total of $459 million. Combined with a whopping $943.8 million overseas, the film brought in $1.4 billion. That doesn’t put it in the top 10, but it does put it in 11th place behind Frozen II ($1.45 billion).
3Avengers
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The importance of 2012’s “Avengers” cannot be overstated. Nothing like this has ever been attempted before. Crossing characters from different franchises in one mega-movie. It was a big risk, to say the least. Would it work? Would it even work? It was done and it worked. The Hulk, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Captain America, Thor and Iron Man joined forces to the delight of audiences around the world. In total, the great Marvel experiment raised $1.51 billion worldwide. Its opening weekend of $207.4 million is still one of the biggest in history and it leads the world rankings. In a word, huge.
2 Avengers: the war of infinity
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If “The Avengers” proved what was possible in terms of superhero movies, 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” tested the limits. After debuting in the post-credit arena a few years earlier, Thanos has finally arrived to wreak havoc in the MCU. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, who previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, his job was to weave together multiple storylines, characters and franchises and raise the stakes. It worked. The Russo brothers succeeded, and Infinity War became a must-see for viewers around the world who followed the MCU even casually. At that point, it was only the fourth film to bring in over $2.04 billion at the box office. You’d think it couldn’t have been bigger. But the cliffhanger gave audiences the fuel to take the sequel further than they thought possible.
Avengers: Game Over
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The MCU feels like an endless affair. There may never be a final conclusion. But Avengers: Endgame, in 2019, offered fans the closest thing to an ending we’ll ever have in this universe. The film picked up where Infinity War left off and marked the endgame for many of the MCU heroes we’ve been following for more than a decade. It was the end of Thanos as the great evil of this universe. It was incredibly ambitious in terms of scope, length, plot, and just about every other way a big-budget blockbuster can be ambitious. Surprisingly, it even seemed bigger than Star Wars: The Force Awakens in 2015, and the numbers speak for themselves. In the end, Avengers: Endgame grossed $2.797 billion worldwide. That was just enough to surpass James Cameron’s Avatar ($2.79 billion) as the biggest movie in history. Few people thought it was possible. Yes, the Russo brothers produced not only the most profitable superhero movie in history, but also the most profitable movie of all time. Period.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the most disgusting superhero movie?
The latest Avengers: Endgame (2019) is the biggest superhero movie, in both inflation-adjusted and non-inflation-adjusted figures. Worldwide, it brought in $2.797 billion at the box office. It is the most profitable superhero movie overall, not just one of the most profitable Marvel movies.
Which Marvel superhero has the most movies?
Excluding this scene, Thor, Captain America, Iron Man and Black Widow are tied for the most film credits (8 each). Nick Fury is behind them with 7 appearances. This makes sense, as he essentially formed The Avengers.
Which Marvel movie failed?
14 FLOPPED: The Incredible Hulk In 2008, following the success of Iron Man, Marvel Studios produced The Incredible Hulk. The film, directed by Louis Leterrier and starring Edward Norton, brought in $263 million on a budget of $150 million.
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