The following page lists the highest-grossing superhero films of all time, the highest-grossing superheroes at the box office, and the biggest opening weekends for superhero films. The figures have not been adjusted for inflation.
The top seven highest-grossing superhero films and nine out of the top ten highest-grossing superhero films have been produced by Marvel Studios, within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). ' and ' are the only two superhero films to surpass a $2 billion worldwide gross, with Avengers: Endgame being the second highest-grossing film of all time. The top 15 are among the 50 highest-grossing films of all time. Most of the films on this list are from either Marvel or DC Comics.
This is a list of the highest-grossing superhero film series at the box office. The Marvel Cinematic Universe ranks as the highest-grossing film series of all time grossing over $31.1 billion. Avengers has the best average with an average of $1.9 billion per film. A series must have at least two released films to qualify for this list.
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This list charts films the 50 biggest worldwide openings. Since films do not open on Fridays in many markets, the 'opening' is taken to be the gross between the first day of release and the first Sunday following the movie's release. Figures prior to the year 2002 are not available.
Since many American films do not open in all markets at the same time, the 'opening' gross varies depending on when it was released in the US-Canada market. For example, for films like Captain Marvel and ' which opened in the US-Canada market and in most other major markets during the same weekend, the 'opening' is the total gross of the film during that weekend. On the other hand, for films like ' and ' which opened in several markets a week ahead of their respective releases in the US-Canada market, the 'opening' is the sum of the opening grosses in the markets where they were released first and the opening in the US-Canada market. In the latter case, the opening grosses from territories after the initial overseas opening are not included in the 'opening' of the film. In all cases, if a film opens in a market after its release in the US-Canada market, that opening is not included in the 'opening' of the film.
At least seventeen films since 1964 have held the record for highest-grossing superhero film. Spider-Man has held the record twice, Batman and the Avengers have held it three times each, and Godzilla held it at least six times. Films based on DC Comics have held the record four times, films based on Marvel Comics have held it five times, and Toho films held it at least six times.
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Fifteen films since 1965 have held the record for highest-grossing worldwide opening weekend for a superhero film. Seven of the films are based on Marvel Comics, while six films are based on DC Comics. Batman has held the record four times, while Superman, Spider-Man and the Avengers have held the record three times each.
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The following is a list of the highest-grossing superhero film by year since 1966. Some years have no superhero films. Batman has topped six years, while Godzilla has topped twelve years, the most of any superhero. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has topped fourteen years (every year of the 2010s, 2021âÂÂ2024), the most for a franchise. Films based on Marvel Comics have topped twenty three years, the most for a source.
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Films must sell at least 50 million tickets to be listed. The Marvel Cinematic Universe contains the most entries on the list, with eight films in total. The Avengers series is next, with four films on the list. In total, thirteen of the films below are based on the Marvel Comics.