With Captain America: Civil War finally out and taking the world’s box-office by storm we have a look at the 20 highest grossing superhero movies at the worldwide box-office.
Fans of the superhero genre will probably be able to guess which film is the highest grossing but they may not know how many Marvel films are in the top 20. With both DC and Marvel going head-to-head, where will Civil War fit in and how does it compare to the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe series? Seeing what other films have grossed will help with any predictions.
2008’s Iron Man was the first time we saw Robert Downey Jr. as the billionaire philanthropist turned superhero. The film took $585,174,222 at the worldwide box office, marking the start of what we now call the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man has gone on to appear in 5 subsequent superhero films.
The second Iron Man film took $623,933,331 at the box-office, confirming the success of the first Iron Man film. It isn’t the best in the series but it made enough money to warrant a sequel and introduction of other superheroes.
Thor was the second hero to be introduced to the masses in Phase One. The first Thor film was released in 2011 and made just under $450 million – enough to warrant a sequel. The Dark World, the second Thor film, was released in 2013 and took $644,602,516 worldwide, showing the increasing popularity of Marvel’s films.
Man of Steel was the first time we saw Henry Cavill’s Superman and the the introduction to the world before Batman vs Superman. Reception was mixed but the $668,045,518 it took worldwide ensured the story would continue.
Civil War has only been in theatres a matter of days but including the overseas taking, it has take an estimated $678,391,000 at the time of writing. With appearances from Spider-Man as well as a host of other Avengers, Civil War is more than just a Captain America film.
2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the second and final appearance of Andrew Garfield’s Peter Parker. A lot of people enjoyed the central characters but it took $708,982,323 at the box office worldwide, which is less that the first film.
One of the strongest films in the MCU, Winter Soldier took $714,421,503 at the worldwide box-office. It took twice as much as the first solo Captain America film, confirming that the series of films was going from strength to strength.
Days of Future Past is by far the highest grossing X-Men film. Well received critically and commercially, it brought X-Men back to masses. It took $747,862,775 worldwide and Apocalypse is out later this summer.
The Amazing Spider-Man is one of those rare times when the first film makes more than the sequel. At $757,930,663, it made 50 million dollars more than the second outing of Garfield’s Spider-Man. That version of Spider-Man won’t be seen again but we’ll be seeing Spidey again very soon.
Deadpool is by far the highest grossing R rated superhero film and had one of the smallest budgets. Ryan Reynolds is perfect as the foul-mouthed vigilant, and after making $761,223,790 worldwide, there will certainly be a sequel.
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Iron Man
2008's Iron Man was the first time we saw Robert Downey Jr. as the billionaire philanthropist turned superhero. The film took $585,174,222 at the worldwide box office, marking the start of what we now call the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Iron Man has gone on to appear in 5 subsequent superhero films.
Iron Man 2
The second Iron Man film took $623,933,331 at the box-office, confirming the success of the first Iron Man film. It isn't the best in the series but it made enough money to warrant a sequel and introduction of other superheroes.
Thor: The Dark World
Thor was the second hero to be introduced to the masses in Phase One. The first Thor film was released in 2011 and made just under $450 million - enough to warrant a sequel. The Dark World, the second Thor film, was released in 2013 and took $644,602,516 worldwide, showing the increasing popularity of Marvel's films.
Man of Steel
Man of Steel was the first time we saw Henry Cavill's Superman and the the introduction to the world before Batman vs Superman. Reception was mixed but the $668,045,518 it took worldwide ensured the story would continue.
Captain America: Civil War
Civil War has only been in theatres a matter of days but including the overseas taking, it has take an estimated $678,391,000 at the time of writing. With appearances from Spider-Man as well as a host of other Avengers, Civil War is more than just a Captain America film.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2
2014's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was the second and final appearance of Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker. A lot of people enjoyed the central characters but it took $708,982,323 at the box office worldwide, which is less that the first film.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
One of the strongest films in the MCU, Winter Soldier took $714,421,503 at the worldwide box-office. It took twice as much as the first solo Captain America film, confirming that the series of films was going from strength to strength.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
Days of Future Past is by far the highest grossing X-Men film. Well received critically and commercially, it brought X-Men back to masses. It took $747,862,775 worldwide and Apocalypse is out later this summer.
The Amazing Spider-Man
The Amazing Spider-Man is one of those rare times when the first film makes more than the sequel. At $757,930,663, it made 50 million dollars more than the second outing of Garfield's Spider-Man. That version of Spider-Man won't be seen again but we'll be seeing Spidey again very soon.
Deadpool
Deadpool is by far the highest grossing R rated superhero film and had one of the smallest budgets. Ryan Reynolds is perfect as the foul-mouthed vigilant, and after making $761,223,790 worldwide, there will certainly be a sequel.
Guardians of the Galaxy
No-one expected Guardians of the Galaxy to perform as well as it did at the box-office. With unknown characters and a very loose connection to the established MCU story, it is impressive that it made $773,312,399. It is a testament to the excellent writing and well-designed characters.
Spider-Man 2
The second of three Toby Maguire led Spider-Man films but the film with the lower worldwide figures. However, the $783,766,341 total is higher than that of either of the Andrew Garfield Spider-Man films.
Spider-Man
The first of Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film did very well in the US. It is currently the 6th highest grossing superhero movie, domestically. It has made $821,708,551 worldwide, more than its first sequel.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
The clash of the two most famous superheroes was surrounded by an incredible amount of hype. It has made $865,450,133 and counting but a film with featuring a clash between two iconic superheroes could be expected to make more and cruise past a billion.
Spider-Man 3
Although the second of the three Sam Raimi Spider-Man film took the least at the box office, it is considered by many as the best one. Its quality ensured fans were excited for the third instalment and it took $890,871,626 worldwide. Whilst it did well, the film wasn't good and it was the last time we saw Toby Maguire as Peter Parker.
The Dark Knight
Heralded for the special performance from Heath Ledger as The Joker, The Dark Knight is a different kind of superhero film. It is dark, violent, and intelligent - put together flawlessly by Christopher Nolan. However, the seriousness didn't harm its box office takings, making $1,004,558,444 worldwide, being the first superhero film to take over a billion dollars.
The Dark Knight Rises
The sequel to Nolan's classic and the conclusion of the trilogy. Although much of Rises' success can be put down to the popularity of the previous two Batman films, it is good in its own right. It has made $1,084,939,099 at the worldwide box-office.
Iron Man 3
Iron Man 3 is the highest grossing superhero film that is not an ensemble affair. Regarded by many as Tony Stark's best solo outing, Iron Man 3 made $1,215,439,994 when it released in 2013. However, it isn't the only film featuring Iron Man to make over one billion.
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Age of Ultron is the second film in the MCU to feature a range of the studio's heroes. The film attempted to re-create the magic of the first Avengers film and introduce new characters. It made $1,405,413,868 worldwide, a figure beaten by just one other superhero film...
Marvel's The Avengers
Grossing $1,519,557,910 worldwide, Marvel's The Avengers is comfortably the highest grossing superhero movie. It was the first time we saw The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and friends on the big screen all at once - something that was very special at the time. It will take a lot to be it but maybe, just maybe, Civil War has a chance.
About the author
Tom Hopkins
A Film and English graduate from London who plays far too much FIFA. Playing Games since 1999. Favorite Genres: Third-Person Action, Racing, and Narrative-Driven.
