Over the past few years, movies based on comic books, particularly Marvel, are all the rage. In 2008, Iron Man kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe (or MCU), signalling a new era in blockbuster filmmaking. It was the first time somebody had attempted such a massive unified and detailed universe on the big screen. And it paid rich dividends. To give you an idea, four out of 10 highest-grossing movies of all time come under the umbrella of the MCU. Let’s look at the top 10 highest-grossing Marvel movies in order.
Deadpool & Wolverine hit theatres worldwide in July 2024, marking the debut of both Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s mutant superheroes in MCU. It is the first R-rated movie from the stables of Marvel Studios. Spending only a few days at the cinemas, it has already become a hit. The movie is expected to end up as the highest-grossing R-rated movie in cinema history, besting the Joaquin Phoenix-starrer Joker (2019), which was the origin story of the iconic Batman villain.
With Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU, albeit not as Tony Stark but as the supervillain Doctor Doom, it appears we are going back to the heydays. Despite a few setbacks in the last couple of years, it looks like the MCU will continue to be a box office juggernaut.
Note: All box office figures are from Box Office Mojo. The figures are rounded off.
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Ranking Marvel movies in the order of the lowest- to the highest-grossing
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Box office haul: USD 1.12 billion
IMDb rating: 6.8
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 79 per cent
Directed by: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, Lashana Lynch
Movie duration: 2 hours 3 minutes
Synopsis: Carol Danvers (Larson) is an amnesiac member of Starforce (a military force of Kree warriors) whose memories reawaken when she crash lands on Earth. With the help of S.H.I.E.L.D agent Nick Fury (Jackson), she learns she was a US Air Force pilot and reunites with her friend and fellow pilot Maria Rambeau (Lynch). She also discovers her full potential as Captain Marvel, a superhero with incredible strength and powers like energy projection and flight.
Why it’s great: Though it suffers from an inconsistent pace and the themes do not quite gel together, it is ultimately an entertaining affair. The sequel, The Marvels? Not so much.
Box office haul: USD 1.13 billion
IMDb rating: 7.4
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 91 per cent
Directed by: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Zendaya
Movie duration: 2 hours 9 minutes
Synopsis: Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Holland) goes on a trip to Europe in the wake of Thanos’ defeat and Tony Stark’s sacrifice. Still haunted by the fact that his mentor is gone, he is approached by Quentin Beck or Mysterio (Gyllenhaal), a man who claims to be a superhero from another universe. Peter joins forces with him to protect the world from Elementals, creatures who destroyed Beck’s world. Or is that what Mysterio is actually doing? Meanwhile, Peter is also mustering up the courage to finally confess his feelings to Michelle Jones-Watson (Zendaya).
Why it’s great: Visual effects alone are enough to recommend this movie. There are scenes in which Mysterio showcases his numerous illusions, and it’s nothing short of spectacular.
Box office haul: USD 1.15 billion
IMDb rating: 7.8
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 90 per cent
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie
Movie duration: 2 hours 27 minutes
Synopsis: Dubbed Avengers 2.5 due to its humongous cast, this movie was about a rift between the Avengers that split the superhero team neatly (and conveniently) in half. One faction, led by Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), was convinced of more government regulation of superheroes. The other, led by Steve Rogers (Evans), believed it would be a terrible idea. They clash at the end, though the actual battle is not as bloody as expected.
Why it’s great: The Russos juggle the massive cast of superheroes pretty nicely here, making sure each one is paid his or her due. It is for this reason they were hired to direct the next two Avengers movies.
Box office haul: USD 1.21 billion
IMDb rating: 7.1
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 79 per cent
Directed by: Shane Black
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Guy Pearce, Gwyneth Paltrow
Movie duration: 2 hours 10 minutes
Synopsis: Tony Stark or Iron Man (Downey Jr.) is grappling with mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), following the Battle of New York in The Avengers (2012). However, things are about to get even worse for him when he learns of a mysterious new terrorist threat called the Mandarin.
Why it’s great: Not everything works in this movie, including the big twist, but it peels back layers of the outer persona of Tony Stark in ways the last two entries in the series did not. Also, the third act is absolutely awesome.
Box office haul: USD 1.37 billion
IMDb rating: 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 96 per cent
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Martin Freeman, Danai Gurira
Movie duration: 2 hours 14 minutes
Synopsis: T’Challa (Boseman) is the heir to the futuristic African nation of Wakanda following his father’s death. But he is struggling to lead his people. A new threat emerges in the form of Erik Killmonger (Jordan), who wants to use Wakandan technology to wage war upon the world as vengeance for slavery. While T’Challa wears an advanced suit, Killmonger is a threat he cannot afford to underestimate.
Why it’s great: Not only was most of the cast black, but this movie also celebrated African cultures. Late Boseman and Jordan were both outstanding in their respective roles. Wakanda was also quite well-realised.
Box office haul: USD 1.40 billion
IMDb rating: 7.3
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 76 per cent
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson
Movie duration: 2 hours 21 minutes
Synopsis: Frightened by the Battle of New York and other intergalactic threats, Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Ruffalo) try to secretly develop a global defence programme called Ultron. But it backfires big time when it gains sentience and decides that to save the world, every human being on Earth must be obliterated. Stark, Banner and other superheroes, including Captain America (Evans) and Thor (Hemsworth), join forces to end the threat before it spirals out of control.
Why it’s great: It’s the worst among Avengers movies. That being said, it is still pretty good. The action is great, there are several amazing character moments, though it is quite overstuffed.
Box office haul: USD 1.51 billion
IMDb rating: 8
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 91 per cent
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston
Movie duration: 2 hours 23 minutes
Synopsis: S.H.I.E.L.D director Nick Fury (Jackson) brings together Earth’s mightiest superheroes, including Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), Bruce Banner (Ruffalo), Thor (Hemsworth) and Captain America (Evans). The reason? To protect the planet from a singular threat: an extraterrestrial Chitauri army and at its head, the Asgardian God of Mischief, Loki (Hiddleston).
Why it’s great: It’s simply the perfect superhero team-up movie. Looking back, its achievements seem even more unlikely, considering this was the first time something like this was tried in live-action. Despite being a couple of minutes longer than its sequel, it feels much leaner and taut.
Box office haul: USD 1.91 billion
IMDb rating: 8.2
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 93 per cent
Directed by: Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jon Favreau, Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield
Movie duration: 2 hours 28 minutes
Synopsis: After the true identity of Spider-Man (Holland), Peter Parker, is out in the world, he begs Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch) for help to turn it all around. Strange performs a ritual, but Peter interferes, and it goes haywire. Entities from other universes begin to invade, and there are two other Spider-Men (Maguire and Garfield). The three Spider-Men team up to take on their foes together.
Why it’s great: Though the Multiverse concept is fairly new in superhero cinema, it already feels old. No Way Home is not the best example, but it is one of the better ones. Holland remains an earnest and believable Peter Parker, and it was cool to see Maguire and Garfield return one last time.
Box office haul: USD 2.05 billion
IMDb rating: 8.4
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 85 per cent
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chadwick Boseman, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin
Movie duration: 2 hours 29 minutes
Synopsis: The Avengers and other superheroes, including the Guardians of the Galaxy, must team up to take on the Mad Titan Thanos (Brolin), an alien warlord who wants to claim all the Infinity Stones and half the population of the universe, believing it will restore the balance. As the superheroes unite and face him and his warriors, they realise this threat may be the greatest challenge they have ever faced.
Why it’s great: With two dozen superheroes, this movie was a gargantuan task, and the Russos were more than up for it. There are a number of action set pieces in this movie, but they are all nicely balanced with the quieter moments, particularly those that help lend depth to Thanos.
Box office haul: USD 2.80 billion
IMDb rating: 8.4
Rotten Tomatoes rating: 94 per cent
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin, Brie Larson
Movie duration: 3 hours 1 minute
Synopsis: Five years have passed after Thanos (Brolin) succeeded in his quest to ‘balance out’ the universe or kill off half of all living beings in the cosmos. Superheroes, including Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) and Captain Marvel (Larson), think of an option to undo the ‘snap’ to bring back everyone from the dead. But it is easier said than done, for the Infinity Gauntlet is damaged beyond repair. The heroes then consider time travel as an option.
Why it’s great: Not as impressive as Infinity War, but Endgame was still stupefying. It was actually even bigger in scale and scope. It all culminated in a spectacular final battle when nearly every single MCU superhero fought Thanos and his minions. An epic conclusion to the Infinity Saga, it is no wonder that the MCU has been struggling ever since it came out. I mean, how do you top that?
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(Hero and Featured image: Courtesy of IMDb)
This article first appeared on Lifestyle Asia India
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Until now, 34 MCU movies have been released. However, there are other Marvel movies, as well, including Sony’s 'Spider-Man' movies, and 20th Century Fox’s 'X-Men' and 'Fantastic Four' movies.
In terms of box office returns, 'Avengers: Endgame' is the top Marvel movie.
Usually, the order of their release is fine. This is particularly true for MCU movies, which were all planned carefully to create a cohesive, unified cinematic universe.
