How Much Money Has Every Marvel Movie Made?

Our list below shows how much money every Marvel movie has made. Total Marvel box office earnings total over $21 billion dollars.

Captain America: Civil War made an excellent showing with $1.14 billion worldwide. That puts it as the #4 Marvel movie for money by 6/29/16. Other standouts include Marvel’s The Avengers with over $1.5 billion in ticket sales, Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron with well over $1 billion each.

We list worldwide box office earnings for each movie below. For a breakdown between domestic and worldwide money earned per movie, plus totals of each, see the complete Marvel movie money table by scrolling down.

Bear in mind that the figures below represent box office earnings only. They don’t include DVD, Blu-Ray or streaming sales and rentals. We’ve provided extra details on Marvel’s top 21 money earners below, to give you a complete picture of the forces at work behind Marvel movie income.

Either way, the Marvel money story is far from over, with 14 big budget Marvel movies on deck to release between now and 2021.

1. Marvel’s The Avengers: $1,518,594,910

marvel money avengersMarvel’s the Avengers has made the most money of any Marvel movie, with over $1.5 billion in earnings worldwide. It’s also the fourth highest money maker out of all movies in history, behind #1 earner Avatar with $2.788 billion and James Cameron’s other chartstopper Titanic with $2.186 billion.

At least part of the movie’s success may be due to the high level of tension in the characters. Director Joss Whedon said, “These people shouldn’t even be in the same room let alone on the same team – and that is the definition of family.”

2. Avengers: Age of Ultron: $1,398,858,115

marvel money avengers age of ultronMarvel’s blockbuster hit Avengers: Age of Ultron has earned $1.398 billion since its release. That makes it the number six movie of all time.

During filming, Scarlett Johansson was pregnant, requiring her to have three stunt doubles on set at all time. The doubles looked so much like Johansson that Chris Evans reported getting in conversations with them before realizing they weren’t her.

3. Iron Man 3: $1,215,439,994

marvel money iron man 3Iron Man 3 is the third biggest moneymaker of any Marvel movie. With $1.215 billion in earnings, it’s the seventh highest grossing film of all time. It’s the first Iron Man film to make over $1 billion. It’s also the second Marvel movie to break the billion dollar mark. Marvel’s The Avengers was the first.

The movie originally had a budget of $140 million, but Marvel Studios added another $60 million after the huge success of The Avengers.

 

4. Captain America: Civil War: $1,147,698,026

A big overseas opening and the #5 movie opening of all time put Civil War at #4 on our Marvel money list. The movie beat Thor’s entire box office take in just one weekend. Civil War has a 90% fresh rating on critic site Rotten Tomatoes and is also a huge hit with fans. The movie bested Batman v Superman’s $875 million worldwide gross. That money would put Batman at #6 on the Marvel list. While Batman had a killer opening weekend, it also had a supersized drop of 69% the second weekend. Civil War has a slim chance to unseat #3 film Iron Man 3 with $1.22 billion.

5. Spider Man 3: $890,871,626

marvel money spider man 3Spider Man 3 is the first Marvel movie on our list to bring in less than a billion dollars in ticket sales. The movie stars Tobey Maguire.

In the movie, all of Kirsten Dunst’s screams were taken from Spider Man 2. Thomas Hayden Church broke three knuckles punching a brick wall that the effects crew had told him was fake.

Here’s How Much Money All 42 Marvel Movies Made:

The table below shows the worldwide and domestic box office earnings for all 37 Marvel movies. The total adds up to well over $19 billion in Marvel movie income and doesn’t include worldwide DVD, Blu-Ray and streaming sales and rentals.

See below the table for continued breakdowns of each Marvel movie’s earnings. Note that although Marvel got at least some money from every movie below, in cases where another studio made more money from Marvel we’ve listed that company as the main producer.

All Marvel Movies Ranked by Money
Marvel Movie RankProduced ByMarvel MovieWorldwide Theater EarningsDomestic Theater Earnings
1Marvel StudiosMarvel's The Avengers$1,518,594,910$623,357,910
2Marvel StudiosAvengers: Age of Ultron$1,398,858,115$457,358,115
3Marvel StudiosIron Man 3$1,215,439,994$409,013,994
4Marvel StudiosCaptain America: Civil War$1,147,698,026$401,946,213
5Columbia PicturesSpider Man 3$890,871,626$404,040,954
6Marvel EnterprisesSpider Man$821,708,551$403,706,375
7Marvel EntertainmentSpider Man 2$783,766,341$373,585,825
820th Century Fox and Marvel EntertainmentDeadpool$778,618,148$363,071,095
9Marvel StudiosGuardians of the Galaxy$774,176,600$333,176,600
10Columbia PicturesThe Amazing Spider-Man$757,930,663$262,030,663
1120th Century FoxX-Men: Days of Future Past$748,121,534$233,921,534
12Marvel StudiosCaptain America: The Winter Soldier$714,766,572$259,766,572
13Columbia PicturesThe Amazing Spider-Man 2$708,982,323$202,853,933
14Marvel StudiosDoctor Strange$652,887,055$226,087,055
15Walt Disney PicturesBig Hero 6$652,105,443$222,505,443
16Marvel StudiosThor: The Dark World$644,783,140$206,362,140
17Marvel StudiosIron Man 2$623,933,331$312,433,331
18Marvel StudiosIron Man$585,174,222$318,412,101
19Marvel EntertainmentX-Men: Apocalypse$524,089,004$151,480,912
21Marvel EntertainmentX-Men: The Last Stand$459,359,555$234,362,462
22Marvel StudiosThor$449,326,618$181,030,624
2320th Century FoxThe Wolverine$414,828,246$132,556,852
2420th Century FoxX2: X-Men United$407,711,549$214,949,694
2520th Century FoxX-Men Origins: Wolverine$373,062,864$179,883,157
26Marvel StudiosCaptain America: The First Avenger$370,569,774$176,654,505
27Bad Hat Harry ProductionsX-Men: First Class$353,624,124$146,408,305
28Constantin FilmFantastic Four (2005)$330,579,719$154,696,080
20Marvel StudiosAnt Man$518,585,201$180,157,872
2920th Century FoxX-Men$296,339,527$157,299,717
30Marvel EntertainmentFantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer$289,047,763$131,921,738
31Marvel StudiosThe Incredible Hulk$263,427,551$134,806,913
32Universal PicturesHulk$245,360,480$132,177,234
33Crystal Sky PicturesGhost Rider$228,738,393$115,802,596
34Regency EnterprisesDaredevil$179,179,718$102,543,518
35Marvel StudiosFantastic Four (2015)$167,977,597$56,117,547
36Marvel EnterprisesBlade II$155,010,032$82,348,319
37Marvel EntertainmentGhost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance$132,563,930$51,774,002
38Marvel EnterprisesBlade$131,183,530$70,087,718
39New Line CinemaBlade: Trinity$128,905,366$52,411,906
40Marvel EnterprisesElektra$56,681,566$24,409,722
41New World PicturesThe Punisher$54,700,105$33,810,189
42LucasfilmHoward the Duck$37,962,774$16,295,774
43Valhalla Motion PicturesPunisher: War Zone$10,100,036$8,050,977
Totals$21,997,331,616$8,935,668,186

6. Spider Man: $821,708,551

marvel money spider manAdjusted for inflation, 2002’s Spider Man would have the second highest domestic box office take of all Marvel movies, second only to The Avengers and followed closely by Spider Man 2 and Spider Man 3.

In the movie’s famous upside-down kissing scene, the crew had to stop filming several times because Tobey Maguire’s sinuses kept filling with water.

7. Spider Man 2: $783,766,341

marvel money spider man 2Spider Man 2 is Marvel’s seventh biggest movie money maker, with almost $784 million. The movie spent more than $54 million on digital effects and set a record for the biggest opening day of any movie ever. The movie had a budget of $200,000,000. At the time that tied it for first place of the most expensive movie ever made. The other contender was James Cameron’s Titanic. Spider Man 2 is no small contributor to Marvel movie income.

8. Deadpool: $778,618,148

Deadpool made $778 million worldwide and $363 million domestically. It’s also #8 on our Marvel movies money list. The Marvel black comedy comic movie made an astounding opening. A huge part of its early success was probably thanks to the way it reinvented the superhero movie. Deadpool doesn’t have an “or else the world will end” type of plot. That’s new. It also doesn’t take itself seriously. It’s also very raunchy. It’s possible fans are reacting to the differences and freshness of the film. It’s also possible they’re parting with the money because it’s just a kickass Marvel movie.

9. Guardians of the Galaxy: $774,176,600

marvel money guardians of the galaxyMarvel’s ninth biggest earner is Guardians of the Galaxy with $774 million taken in worldwide. It was the first Marvel movie to top $300 million in the U.S. without featuring Robert Downey Junior’s Iron Man character.

When actor Dave Bautista learned he’d got the part of Drax the Destroyer, he burst into tears, then signed up for acting lessons so he’d be able to do his best work on the role.

10. The Amazing Spider Man: $757,930,663

marvel money amazing spider manThe reboot of Marvel’s Spider Man franchise pulled in almost $758 million. The movie was originally intended to be titled Spider Man 4 and star Tobey Maguire, with Sam Raimi directing. Disagreements between Raimi, Maguire and the studio drove development costs past $100 million dollars, causing the studio to scrap the movie in favor of a reboot.

The film’s star Andrew Garfield reported shedding tears when he first tried on the Spider Man costume.

11. X-Men: Days of Future Past: $748,121,534

marvel money x men days of future pastWith $748 million, 2014’s X-Men installment is Marvel’s 11th biggest earner. The movie’s $200 million budget was easily justified by its earnings.

When Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine character travels back in time to 1973, he was originally scripted to wear boxer shorts in bed. He insisted on being filmed nude, reasoning that nobody waking up next to a good looking woman would be wearing anything.

12. Captain America: The Winter Soldier: $714,766,572

marvel money captain america winter soldier2014’s Captain America installment is Marvel’s 12th biggest money maker ever. The movie had a budget of $170 million. The movie was filmed in Cleveland, Ohio after being granted a $9.5 million tax credit.

In the movie, Nick Fury says his grandfather was an elevator operator. Actor Samuel L. Jackson’s father operated an elevator in real life.

13. The Amazing Spider Man 2: $708,982,323

marvel money amazing spider man 2Marvel’s 13th highest grossing film is The Amazing Spider Man 2 with about $709 million. The movie’s marketing budget alone was about $190 million. In Hong Kong the movie earned $1.23 million on its opening day, the biggest movie opening in Hong Kong in history.

Emma Stone wrote her character’s graduation speech herself. In the movie, Stone is shown walking a dog. She and real-life significant other Andrew Garfield later adopted the dog.

14. Doctor Strange: $652,887,055

Entering the half billion and up club, Doctor Strange comes in at #14. The Marvel movie has made more money than most other Marvel’s films, outdoing Thor and Captain America. To date the movie has earned $652 million worldwide and $226 million in the US. With a budget of $165 million, it’s not the most expensive of the Marvel canon. It marks the largest IMAX opening on record with a worldwide total of over $24 million.

With a 90% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie is a fan favorite, though some critics have complained of a generic origin story plot. Benedict Cumberbatch initially had to turn the lead role down because of a prior commitment. He was slated to appear in a stage production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

15. Big Hero 6: $652,105,443

marvel money big hero 6One of the lesser known Marvel movie characters, Big Hero 6 is also the highest grossing animated Marvel movie. It’s also the third Marvel movie of 2014 to earn more than $500 million. The others are Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The big inflatable robot has definitely done his share to chip into the Marvel movie income hopper.

The movements of the movie’s hero Baymax were created by modeling the motions of a baby who had a full diaper.

16: Thor: The Dark World: $644,783,140

marvel money thor the dark world2013’s Thor: The Dark World is one of 19 Marvel movies to earn more than a half a billion dollars. Within 19 days of the film’s release, it had already earned more than the first Thor movie. The movie earned its biggest overseas money pile in China with $55.3 million.

It took Natalie Portman 30 tries to slap Chris Hemsworth in one scene because she didn’t want to hurt him. By contrast, the star only needed five takes to punch Tom Hiddleston.

17: Iron Man 2: $623,933,331

marvel money iron man 2With a budget of $200 million, Marvel’s 17th biggest money maker earned $312 million in North America. With a marketing budget of more than $150 million, the film would have lost money without foreign ticket sales.

Much of the Whiplash character was created by actor Mickey Rourke. He even paid for the character’s pet cockatoo and gold teeth with his own money.

18. Iron Man: $585,174,222

marvel money iron man2008’s Iron Man earned the 2nd least money of all Marvel’s 19 movies to make over a half billion dollars. The movie was the first film in 2008 to bring in more than $300 million. Jeff Bridges commented that the lax production format made him feel as if he was appearing in a $200 million dollar student film.”

The movie kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Movie Universe franchise. The dialogue was mostly ad-libbed.

 

19. X-Men: Apocalypse: $524,089,004

X-Men: Apocalypse is #19 on the list of all Marvel movies, ranked by money. The movie wasn’t made by Marvel Studios, but instead by Marvel Entertainment, Marvel’s wing for movies that get made by other production companies (in this case 20th Century Fox). It’s not a huge hit with critics, getting only a 48% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. It does slightly better with fans, getting a 74% fresh rating, but the movie doesn’t look destined to be a high-end Marvel money maker.

20. Ant Man: $518,585,201

marvel movies money ant man box officeComing in at an impressive #20 on the list of Marvel movies by money, the relatively small Ant Man film earned almost four times its production budget at the worldwide box office, ending at $518 million. That beats the box office take of Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger. Producer Kevin Feige said of the film’s star Paul Rudd that he was perfect for the role of someone who can be charming while at the same time doing slightly unsavory things like breaking into houses to steal things. The film took in $180 million in North America alone, making it a decent entry in Marvel’s money-making movie canon. This despite the film’s having the second lowest box office opening of any Marvel movie.

Actor Paul Rudd is rumored to have purchased a gigantic ant farm as part of his research for the role. Rudd found the experience so inspiring that he kept the ant farm after the film’s release. Another part of Rudd’s preparation for the movie was weight training. Apparently he did so well at it they had to specially tailor his Ant Man suit to make him look less muscular than he was.

21. X-Men: The Last Stand: $459,359,555

marvel money x men last standThe second Marvel movie on our list to take in less money than a half a billion, X-Men: The Last Stand still earned nearly $500 million worldwide. No small contribution to the Marvel movie income. The 2006 movie spent about 1/6 of its budget on its Golden Gate Bridge sequence. A life-sized section of the bridge was constructed for the movie. At the time, the film was the most expensive ever made.

Halle Berry’s wire flying stunts made her so sick during filming that she vomited. The crew had to have buckets ready before filming subsequent fight scenes.

22. Thor: $449,326,618

marvel money thorNumber 22 on our list of the top earning Marvel movies, Thor’s original script would have required $300 million to produce. The script was trimmed to cut the film’s budget in half. The cuts didn’t seem to hurt this addition to the Marvel movie income coffers.

The movie was well received critically. According to film site IMDB, when Anthony Hopkins first saw Chris Hemsworth in costume, he said, “God, there’s no acting required here is there?”

23. The Wolverine: $414,828,246

marvel money wolverineHugh Jackman’s first solo role in a Marvel movie earned nearly $415 million. The 2013 movie had a budget of $120 million. It earned $19 million more than that amount during its opening weekend worldwide.

With $132 million in North America, The Wolverine made less money than any other film in the X-Men franchise domestically. In foreign markets however, it pulled in $282 million, a significantly larger take than any other X-Men movie.

24. X-2: X Men United: $407,711,549

marvel money x men x 2X-2 pulled in $407 million, making it the 23rd biggest Marvel movie money maker. The 2003 film was so successful that 20th Century Fox gave director Bryan Singer a $50 million budget boost for the sequel. The movie went on to make $107 million during the first five days after its release on DVD.

Most of the frozen people in the movie were portrayed by mimes. In the movie a cat licks Wolverine’s claws. The cat was enticed to lick the claws by putting frozen tea on them.

25. X-Men Origins: Wolverine: $373,062,864

marvel money x men origins wolverineX-Men Origins: Wolverine earned $373 million worldwide on a budget of $150 million, despite opening to lackluster critical reviews. The film was produced by Hugh Jackman, who earned $25 million from it. The movie was produced in Sydney Australia, where the government estimated it would generate $60 million for the city’s economy. The movie took in $64 million in DVD sales.

Hugh Jackman helped write the movie’s script. At one point during filming, Will.i.am punched a camera by accident, scarring his knuckles.

26. Captain America: The First Avenger: $370,569,774

marvel money captain america first avengerIn the first standalone Captain America movie by Marvel, actor Chris Evans was paid only $300,000 for portraying the film’s main character. The film had a $140 million dollar budget. The money for the movie came from a $525 million dollar investment in Marvel by Merril Lynch. The film made up for more than a third of its production cost in DVD sales alone. After another couple hundred million from the box office take, the rest was all gravy in the Marvel movie income vat.

Chris Evans turned down the lead role three times before he accepted it. His reasoning was that the resulting fame would ruin his private life. Robert Downey Junior talked Evans into taking the part, arguing it would give him the freedom to take on any role he wanted in the future.

Marvel’s Box Office Bomb

fantastic four marvel money movie2015’s not so fantastic Fantastic Four is Marvel’s first recent box office disaster. The film took in $168 million worldwide, placing it behind Daredevil and Ghost Rider. It also finished five spots below the 2007 bomb Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and seven spots below 2005’s original so-so Fantastic Four.

The film gets a 10% score on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes for being dull and misguided and lacking joy, humor and thrills.

Marvel Movie Money into the Future

There are 12 Marvel movies scheduled to hit the theaters by 2021. They include:

  • Doctor Strange (11/4/2016)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (5/5/2017)
  • Spider Man Homecoming (7/28/2017)
  • Thor: Ragnarok (11/3/2017)
  • Black Panther (2/16/2018)
  • Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (5/4/2018)
  • Ant Man and the Wasp (7/6/2018)
  • Avengers: Infinity War Part 2 (5/3/2019)
  • Captain Marvel (3/8/2019)
  • Inhumans (7/12/2019)
  • Untitled Marvel Movie #1 (5/1/2020)
  • Untitled Marvel Movie #2 (7/10/2020)
  • Untitled Marvel Movie #3 (11/6/2020)

If each of those movies brings in the average worldwide take for a Marvel film, that’ll boost Marvel’s total earnings to $25 billion by 2020.

Will Marvel be able to keep its spot as king of the comic money movies? It’s hard to say. With powerhouse writer/director Joss Whedon on the way out and new entries in the Star Wars franchise hitting theaters in December, Marvel has its work cut out for it. Then again, since both Marvel and Star Wars are owned by Disney, the coming battle may just be the mighty Mouse arm wrestling himself.

Also see: How Much Money Has Every Star Wars Movie Made?

Sources

BoxOfficeMojo.com

IMDB.com