The Highest-Grossing Marvel Movies Of All Time

As someone who was really invested, for no real reason other than for the fun of seeing this movie a billion times, in Avengers: Endgame beating Avatar (2009) as the highest-grossing movie of all time worldwide, I’m glad that it’s number one on this list. I can’t even remember how many times I saw Avengers: Endgame in theaters, but I think that it was nearing 20. 

This movie, which wrapped up the MCU’s Infinity Saga with a rather wild bow, opened to more than $357 million. It then grossed more than $858 million. I simply can’t wrap my head around those numbers. On the other hand, I can remember how fun it was to see this movie as many times as I did. However, I don’t think anything will beat that first watch and being able to react to all the biggest moments with a theater full of fans just as excited to see it all.

I would expect Spider-Man: No Way Home to be nowhere else on this list. There was so much excitement about seeing the aftermath of Spider-Man: Far From Home’s (2019) jaw-dropping cliffhanger. Also, this movie brought back Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield as their respective Peter Parker/Spider-Man, as well as iconic villains from their movies.

Beyond the fact that people simply love Spider-Man, Spider-Man: No Way Home was just a huge movie. So much so, 2021 was the summer of Spider-Man, like last year was the summer of Superman (2025). So, really, it’s no wonder that Spider-Man: No Way Home accrued more than $260 million in its opening alone. It grossed more than $804 million—just wow!

Black Panther was nothing short of a phenomenon. It’s the first MCU movie with a Black lead, with Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa and a Black director, Ryan Coogler. Black Panther is also one of the best movies—from script to screen to casting and everything in between—in the MCU’s filmography.

It opened with more than $202 million, and it grossed more than $700 million. It’s the only first movie in an MCU trilogy to make the top 5, let alone the top 10, of Marvel’s highest-grossing movies. Black Panther is also the only superhero to have both of their existing movies in the top 10. Essentially, no matter how you look at it, Black Panther is a history-maker.

Of course, Avengers: Infinity War is in the top 5. If I remember correctly, I only went to see it twice because its ending was so devastating. But the numbers suggest that I was one of the very few who did that. This movie opened to more than $258 million and grossed upwards of a whopping $679 million. These numbers are getting to an unfathomable point, truly. 

But it makes sense that this movie would pull in audiences. Avengers: Infinity War is the first part of the seismic conclusion to the MCU's Infinity Saga. Whether they had been there since Iron Man (2008) or not, fans were excited to see what the beginning of the end entailed. Little did we know, it was a lot of heartbreak, and it started in the opening minutes.

At first glance, Deadpool & Wolverine stands out for a few reasons on this list—other than it grossing more than $637 million after a $211 million opening. It’s the only Deadpool movie to make the top 10. Not only does it meet that benchmark, but it also exceeds it by breaking into the top 5. Perhaps it’s the fact that Deadpool 2 (2018) came out six years prior, so fans were clamoring to see one of their favorite characters again.

I’d also argue that one of the biggest pulls is that this is the first Deadpool movie that brings the character into the MCU, so there was a lot of expectation attached. Not to mention, it brings back Hugh Jackman as the other titular character after a very good yet very sad ending in Logan (2017). Beyond that team-up, there are also a lot of buzzy, nostalgic cameos in Deadpool & Wolverine that audiences wanted to see for themselves.

I don’t think it’s presumptuous or all that original to write this, but it’s still necessary to acknowledge The Avengers as the MCU’s first big event movie. It feels nostalgic in that sense now, but in 2012, this movie was a big deal. Of course, people were going to turn up to see all of these superheroes share the screen for the first time. 

The Avengers made over $207 million in its opening weekend and grossed more than $623 million. If I saw those numbers, I would bet on that film franchise, too. It’s pretty wild to look back at this movie and what it accomplished ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. It’s also pretty funny that, somehow, three of those cast members from 14 years ago will be in this movie.

I’m not even shocked that Avengers: Age of Ultron broke the top 10. Even though there have been so many MCU movies since it, Avengers movies do well. Avengers: Age of Ultron is no different with its massive numbers. From my experience, Avengers movies also tend to pull me back in if I’ve missed a few movies. This one, Avengers: Age of Ultron, feels like such a nostalgic watch now—for the good and the bad.

Nevertheless, Avengers: Age of Ultron pulled in upwards of $191 million in its opening weekend. It then grossed slightly more than $459 million. Considering that the MCU was still very much building its foundation with this project, those numbers are absolute confidence boosters. Even so, they barely scratch the surface of where the Avengers movies will go next.

Four years after Black Panther and two years after the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever brought MCU fans back to Wakanda to mourn T’Challa (Boseman) with his loved ones. Among many other things, it introduced Shuri (Letitia Wright) as the Black Panther and saw Angela Bassett deliver a phenomenal performance as Queen Ramonda. Bassett received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and she should’ve won! 

It’s a gorgeous, moving movie, again helmed by the creative visionary Ryan Coogler. It opened with $181 million and grossed $454 million. Looking at this list, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is the only direct sequel to sit in the top 10 with its original, solo film, as they are both two of the MCU’s highest-grossing movies of all time. I can’t wait to see Black Panther 3 (2028)—and how it performs.

Captain Marvel made upwards of $150 million in its opening weekend, with its lifetime gross nearing $427 million. Those numbers aren’t groundbreaking for the MCU, but they are important. For example, it shows that people will show up for female-led superhero blockbusters. So, it’s absolutely wild to me that it is the only female-led project in the highest-grossing MCU movies of all time.

Black Widow (2021) and The Marvels (2023) don’t even crack the top 30. It’s even more bonkers to consider that Captain Marvel is one of the only female-led movies in the franchise—period. I wish I had more hope that this trend would have a positive change. Sadly, I’m not all that convinced, given the MCU’s current, rather male-centric trajectory. 

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness felt like the easiest answer to the stories of and the hype around WandaVision (2021) and Spider-Man: No Way Home. The former came in Elizabeth Olsen reprising her role as Wanda Maximoff opposite Benedict Cumberbatch’s Stephen Strange. Unfortunately, Wanda’s arc doesn’t pan out the way I’d like, and I’m still not sure if there’s a plan for her in the MCU’s future.

This movie, which opened with $187 million and accrued $411 million, also continued the multiverse fever of Spider-Man: No Way Home. It played with nostalgia with cameos across the multiverse while introducing America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez). Most obviously, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness gave fans of the titular character a Doctor Strange (2016) sequel after six years. So there was clearly an incentive to get out and see the movie.