The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has had unprecedented success at the box office, but the disparity between its highest and lowest earners is mind-blowing. The box office is generally viewed as one of the best metrics for determining the success of a film. While it doesn’t offer critical acclaim, and often doesn’t align with the movies that take home the most awards, it does reveal what audiences are spending their hard-earned money to go and see.
And from the moment the MCU started in 2008 with Iron Man, down to 2025 and the release of Thunderbolts*, the franchise has amᴀssed an astonishing nearly $32 billion across 36 theatrically released films (via The Numbers). And while that is almost equal to the MCU earning a little shy of a billion dollars per project, there is actually a stark difference between their highest-earning projects, and the bottom of the pile. And with the Multiverse Saga receiving such a lukewarm reception, that divide could get even worse over the coming months and years.
The MCU Has Had Some Huge Wins & Losses Over The Years
The MCU’s Box Office Perfromances Have Been A Rollercoaster
When the MCU debuted Iron Man in 2008, the film was a runaway success. On a production budget of $186 million, the film was able to more than triple the investment with a total box office of $584 million. And from that moment onwards, the MCU appeared to be on a roll, gradually getting to a point where it was steadily earning in excess of a billion dollars with every new release. However, this incredible run only lasted for a short time, before the Infinity Saga ended with some of the most spectacular box office performances of any film in history, and the Multiverse began to hemorrhage money.
Avengers: Infinity War set a new personal record for the MCU, earning more than $2 billion at the box office. However, things really heated up with Avengers: Endgame, which took home $2.7 billion and claimed the top spot for highest-earning movie of all time before Avatar was re-released and reclaimed the top spot. After Endgame, a global pandemic shut down theaters and studios for months, leading to some major problems for the MCU as a whole. However, with Spider-Man: No Way Home earning $1.9 billion in late 2021, there was sufficient evidence that people were willing to return for the right movie.
The Difference Between The MCU’s Highest & Lowest Box Offices Really Underlines Its Varied Successes
Avengers: Endgame Had A Starkly Different Box Office Run
Despite the success of No Way Home, two short years later, the MCU released their worst performing film of the entire franchise, The Marvels, which earned just shy of $200 million. This proves even more of a sting for Marvel Studios when considering the production budget was $270 million, and they likely spent another several hundred million marketing the movie. In contrast to Avengers: Endgame, which earned more than 13 times more than The Marvels, and a budget that was just 1.5 times larger, it speaks volumes about the hit-or-miss nature of the MCU, and the rapid descent that is occurring in the Multiverse Saga.
|
Movie |
Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score |
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score |
Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Avengers: Endgame |
94% |
90% |
$2,717,503,922 |
|
ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine |
78% |
94% |
$1,338,071,348 |
|
Thunderbolts* |
88% |
93% |
$372,765,406 |
|
The Marvels |
62% |
79% |
$199,706,250 |
While the MCU had a good run of hitting home runs and almost guaranteeing a billion per film, the MCU is now on the other side of that peak. But even now, the MCU appears more unpredictable than ever in terms of its successes and failures. When ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool & Wolverine came out in 2024, it earned well over a billion dollars, but just one year later, Thunderbolts*, which received better reviews according to metrics on sites like Rotten Tomatoes, ended up falling well short of the $400 million mark. And even if it had hit that mark, it would still have been a financial loss for Marvel Studios.
Putting The MCU’s Highest & Lowest Box Offices Side-By-Side Really Helps Add Some Perspective To The Franchise’s Results
The MCU Appears To Be Unpredictable But Small Changes Could Help A Lot
One of the biggest things to note when discussing the movies released in the MCU is how much this doesn’t reflect typical films. In general, even Marvel’s lowest performing film has earned an outstanding sum of money compared to other theatrically released films. But at the same time, the production budgets on most films rarely stretch above the $100 million mark, and when that happens, the film is guaranteed to include the biggest names in Hollywood and/or outstanding visual effects. But the MCU is operating on a different plane in terms of the films that they are making, and the level of spectacle they incorporate into each new release.
When looking at the larger picture of all the MCU releases together, or even just a select few that include the highest and lowest earning projects, it becomes much clearer how much of a disparity there is within the franchise. Not every movie is breaking a billion, but the movies that cross that line appear to be bolstering Marvel Studios and allowing them the freedom, flexibility and confidence to continue releasing new films. In addition, the box office is not the only form of revenue that these movies generate.
What Lessons The MCU Can Learn From Its Highest & Lowest Box Office Results
The MCU Should Begin To Consider Changes Now Before It’s Too Late
However, despite the security that being owned by a behemoth business like Disney provides, and the additional income streams that the theme parks, merchandise, and additional sales bring in, Marvel should be more careful about how it allocates funds to its projects. It makes sense to spend $400 million when making a film like Avengers: Endgame, a film that closes the book on one chapter, and involves all the biggest names that the MCU has introduced up to that point. However, not every movie should have a budget of $200 million or above. The MCU needs to work smarter, not throw more money on the fire.
If the MCU could be more careful with the allocation of funds, the bigger тιтles could have even larger budgets. However, they would need to get creative and innovative with smaller projects, or be satisfied with only releasing the most essential stories with mᴀssive marketing budgets. On the other hand, Marvel Studios can also see that fans are more willing to spend money on the properties that they are familiar with, like Avengers, Spider-Man, and ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool to name a few. When a new franchise doesn’t take off, the MCU should consider carefully how it proceeds to avoid mᴀssive financial flops and ensure their continued success.
Upcoming MCU Movies
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Thunderbolts*
- Release Date
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May 2, 2025
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The Fantastic Four: First Steps
- Release Date
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July 25, 2025
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Avengers: Doomsday
- Release Date
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December 18, 2026
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Spider-Man: Brand New Day
- Release Date
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July 31, 2026
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Avengers: Secret Wars
- Release Date
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December 17, 2027
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