Since the launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008 with Iron Man, superhero movies have become the biggest movies around at the box office.
What might surprise you though is that it's not just MCU movies bringing in the big bucks – even if DC is still waiting for its first Worlds of DC movie to hit that magical $1 billion barrier that Marvel has crossed six times (so far).
So we thought we'd go through the stats of all superhero movies since the MCU launched and sort out the 25 biggest to date. Thanks to Box Office Mojo for the numbers, which are up-to-date as of December 3, 2018. We haven't adjusted them for inflation, either, which – when you think about it – makes some of the entries even more impressive.
24. Deadpool 2
US box office: $318,491,426
International box office: $415,754,495
Total: $734,245,921
23. Suicide Squad
US box office: $325,100,054
International box office: $421,746,840
Total: $746,846,894
22. X-Men: Days of Future Past
US box office: $233,921,534
International box office: $513,941,241
Total: $747,862,775
20. Guardians of the Galaxy
US box office: $333,176,600
International box office: $440,152,029
Total: $773,328,629
19. Deadpool
US box office: $363,070,709
International box office: $420,042,270
Total: $783,112,979
18. Spider-Man 2
US box office: $373,585,825
International box office: $410,180,516
Total: $783,766,341
17. Spider-Man
US box office: $403,706,375
International box office: $418,002,176
Total: $821,708,551
16. Wonder Woman
US box office: $412,563,408
International box office: $409,283,604
Total: $821,847,012
15. Venom
US box office: $212,300,606
International box office: $633,205,064
Total: $845,505,670
14. Thor: Ragnarok
US box office: $315,058,289
International box office: $538,918,837
Total: $853,977,126
13. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
US box office: $389,813,101
International box office: $473,942,950
Total: $863,756,051
12. Batman v Superman
US box office: $330,360,194
International box office: $543,274,725
Total: $873,634,919
11. Spider-Man: Homecoming
US box office: $334,201,140
International box office: $545,965,784
Total: $880,166,924
10. Spider-Man 3
US box office: $336,530,303
International box office: $554,341,323
Total: $890,871,626
9. The Dark Knight
US box office: $534,858,444
International box office: $469,700,000
Total: $1,004,558,444
7. Captain America: Civil War
US box office: $408,084,349
International box office: $745,220,146
Total: $1,153,304,495
6. Iron Man 3
US box office: $409,013,994
International box office: $805,797,258
Total: $1,214,811,252
5. Incredibles 2
US box office: $608,549,440
International box office: $632,530,394
Total: $1,241,079,834
4. Black Panther
US box office: $700,059,566
International box office: $646,853,595
Total: $1,346,913,161
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron
US box office: $459,005,868
International box office: $946,397,826
Total: $1,405,403,694
Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
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