Superhero movies were incredibly popular and profitable for a long time. For years, studios could reliably release several superhero films each summer, knowing at least three would be hits. While their success isn’t guaranteed now, superhero films have been around since the 1970s – they just became consistently successful starting around the year 2000. Here’s a list of the ten most successful superhero movies of all time, based on worldwide box office revenue adjusted for inflation.
Films like Superman (1978), Joker, Deadpool & Wolverine, and Batman (1989) didn’t quite make the list, despite being huge financial successes. When adjusted for inflation to 2025/2026 dollars, their worldwide earnings were just a little too low. The question now is whether Avengers: Doomsday will claim the number one spot by December. We’ll have to wait and see.
10) The Dark Knight — $1.521 Billion
By the time the post-credits scene of Batman Begins appeared, audiences had only seen one live-action Joker on the big screen: Jack Nicholson’s. While there have been five actors to play the role since then (not counting Cesar Romero from the 1966 film), the idea of a new Joker after almost 20 years was a really exciting one.
Initially, some people questioned the choice of Heath Ledger for the role, but as soon as trailers and photos from The Dark Knight were released, everyone was stunned by his performance. The excitement around his work alone made Christopher Nolan’s sequel the most eagerly awaited film of the summer in 2008. Combined with excellent reviews, The Dark Knight attracted a huge audience and kept them coming back for more.
Stream The Dark Knight on HBO Max.
9) The Dark Knight Rises — $1.535 Billion
As a huge Batman fan, I always thought The Dark Knight was the strongest film of the trilogy here in the US. But surprisingly, globally, The Dark Knight Rises actually earned more! Leading up to its release, Rises had just as much hype as The Dark Knight, and I think that was because Dark Knight was such a masterpiece, and everyone knew Rises was meant to bring the whole story to a satisfying conclusion.
Let’s be honest: The Dark Knight Rises doesn’t quite live up to The Dark Knight. It feels slow at times, doesn’t have many memorable action scenes, and unfortunately, Bane – despite Tom Hardy’s performance (or maybe even because of his voice) – wasn’t a very compelling villain to end the series with. After audiences got what they wanted from the first weekend, there wasn’t much incentive to see it again, unlike the excitement surrounding the Batman versus Joker showdown.
Stream The Dark Knight Rises on HBO Max.
8) Captain America: Civil War — $1.563 Billion
It’s not surprising that Captain America: Civil War did so well at the box office, given that it essentially functions as a follow-up to The Avengers. While Captain America: The First Avenger wasn’t a huge financial success, Captain America: The Winter Soldier saw a significant increase in earnings – more than double its predecessor. This boost, along with the success of The Avengers, helped all Marvel Cinematic Universe films released in 2013 and 2014 perform exceptionally well.
However, Civil War earned $400 million more at the box office than The Winter Soldier. A typical Captain America movie released in 2016 likely would have performed similarly to Winter Soldier. But by branding it as both Captain America 3 and Iron Man 4, it became a much larger success.
Stream Captain America: Civil War on Disney+.
7) Incredibles 2 — $1.608 Billion
Pixar, similar to many superhero movie studios, hasn’t been as successful recently. The film Elio, planned for release in 2025, experienced significant financial losses. Pixar’s most critically acclaimed and commercially successful period began with the release of Toy Story in 1995 and lasted until Toy Story 3 in 2010.
Pixar had some big hits after that, like Brave and Inside Out, but also some disappointments, such as Monsters University. The Good Dinosaur in 2015 was a clear flop. However, Inside Out, Finding Dory, and Incredibles 2 were exceptional successes. Incredibles 2, in particular, earned over $500 million more than the original, even when adjusted for inflation.
Stream Incredibles 2 on Disney+.
6) Iron Man 3 — $1.695 Billion
As noted in the entry about Civil War, movies released immediately after The Avengers benefited from its success. The Avengers significantly expanded the franchise’s fanbase and became a major part of popular culture. This boost was seen with The Winter Soldier, Thor: The Dark World, and Iron Man 3.
Iron Man was already much more popular with audiences than both Thor and Captain America, and the box office numbers proved it. The first Iron Man movie earned $585 million worldwide in 2008, followed by $624 million for the sequel in 2010. Then, in 2013, Iron Man 3 was a massive success, bringing in a huge $1.216 billion – almost double the earnings of the second film. Despite some mixed reactions, Iron Man 3 remains one of the most successful movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Stream Iron Man 3 on Disney+.
5) Black Panther — $1.746 Billion
Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther was well-received by audiences when he first appeared in Captain America: Civil War, creating high expectations for his own film. However, almost no one predicted that Black Panther would earn nearly seven times its $200 million production budget.
This movie resonated with a large and diverse audience, particularly within the Black community, where it gained popularity through positive word-of-mouth and repeat viewings. It was groundbreaking as a big-budget superhero film with a non-white lead, and proved to be an important and widely appreciated film across many different groups of people.
Stream Black Panther on Disney+.
4) Avengers: Age of Ultron — $1.925 Billion
While Avengers: Age of Ultron didn’t receive the same critical acclaim as the first Avengers movie, it was still financially successful. However, it didn’t earn as much money as the other films featuring the team.
Despite a production budget of $365 million, Age of Ultron earned $1.405 billion in 2015. When adjusted for inflation to 2025/2026 dollars, that number increases to almost $2 billion. Therefore, it’s difficult to consider Age of Ultron a failure – it simply didn’t perform as well as expected compared to other Marvel films.
Stream Avengers: Age of Ultron on Dis ney+.
3) The Avengers — $2.151 Billion
To understand just how well The Avengers did, it’s helpful to compare its worldwide earnings to how much it cost to make. Age of Ultron, for example, earned roughly 3.85 times its production budget – which is certainly a success.
As a film buff, I’m always fascinated by box office numbers, and this one is pretty incredible. The movie made a whopping $1.521 billion back in 2012, but it only cost around $225 million to make. That means it earned over 6.76 times what it cost – seriously impressive! In fact, it actually outperformed Avengers: Infinity War when you look at how much money it made compared to its budget.
Stream The Avengers on Disney+.
2) Avengers: Infinity War — $2.654 Billion
Thanos was the most powerful enemy the Avengers had ever battled, and he might remain so even with Doctor Doom potentially emerging as a threat. For years, filmmakers had teased his arrival with small glimpses in various movies, and finally, audiences were able to fully experience the extent of his tyranny.
The movie drew massive crowds. While Age of Ultron didn’t perform as well as the first Avengers film, Avengers: Infinity War truly felt like a major cinematic event. Even more people saw the second part of the story that Infinity War began, and it was a huge success. Many believe that the shocking ending of this film was a key reason why Endgame ultimately earned even more at the box office.
Stream Avengers: Infinity War on Disney+.
1) Avengers: Endgame — $3.557 Billion
If you compare the domestic ticket sales of Avengers: Endgame to every other film ever released, it ranks as the 16th highest-grossing movie of all time.
Interestingly, the movie earned more than double its US box office revenue internationally. It made $2.8 billion in 2019, which is around $3.55 billion today. Simply put, if another superhero film – even a massive hit like Doomsday – were to surpass Endgame‘s numbers, it would be a huge surprise. This was a truly historic achievement.
Stream Avengers: Endgame on Disney+.
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2026-01-04 18:14