Global box office revenue of MCU movies 2008-2025
As of 2025, three Avengers-related movies were among Marvel Comics' presumably most profitable films. The production costs of "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), "The Avengers" (2012), and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) amounted to *** million, *** million, and *** million U.S. dollars, respectively, while their global box office revenue stood, in the same order, at **** billion, *** billion, and **** billion dollars.
Superheroes as a facet of Hollywood
Superhero movies have been on trend for years, experiencing a surge in popularity along with comics and graphic novels. But it isn’t just Marvel leading the way. DC Comics' "Aquaman" (2018) made over *** million U.S. dollars in box office revenue worldwide, knocking 2016 movies "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad." In 2017, "Wonder Woman" grossed over *** million dollars, beating "Justice League," which was released that same year and generated *** million dollars in box office revenue.
A trope for the ages
Although the audience has remained loyal for years, the percentage of American adults who said they like the genre but are getting tired of superhero movies increased over the past few years, standing at ** percent at the end of 2021. Yet the special effects and explosive battle scenes tend to benefit from the big screen. During a mid-2022 survey, blockbusters and franchise movies recorded the highest share of internet users willing to see the films in the theaters first. Over a third of the respondents said they could wait at least ** days before this type of movie was made available on streaming platforms.
