The MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE Has Officially Grossed Over $9 Billion Worldwide
True believers rejoice! After twelve films, and Ant-Man's recent release in China, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has reached a major milestone by crossing the $9 billion mark worldwide, the first major film franchise to do so! So, Marvel stockholders, come and check it out!
After the critical and commercial success of a Spider-Man trilogy and an X-Men trilogy, Marvel Studios officially launched the Marvel Cinematic Universe on May 2, 2008 with Iron Man, which, not only resurrected the career of its star Robert Downey Jr., but also kicked off something truly special when Samuel L. Jackson made a cameo appearance as Nick Fury at the tail-end of the film to set-up The Avengers.
Fast forward seven years and eleven more films and now the Marvel Cinematic Universe is more or less the belle of the ball, with many competing studios trying to mimic the success of the now Disney-owned Marvel Studios. Depending on who you ask, the quality of their films have remained fairly consistent over the years, with the extensive world-building and lovable characters often a highlight for fans of the now multi-billion dollar franchise.
Marvel's latest offering, Ant-Man, recently opened in China and received a more than warm reception grossing over $43 million in its opening weekend and well, now more numbers have come in and it seems as though Ant-Man's recent surge has helped the MCU cross a major milestone... the $9 billion mark at the worldwide box office! It's the first franchise to ever reach the landmark number.
However, it should be noted, that on a per film basis, the eight Harry Potter films & six Lord Of The Rings films have grossed a considerable amount more than the twelve Marvel films.
Check out the current worldwide grosses, courtesy of Box Office Mojo, of all twelve Marvel Studios films below:
Marvel Studios' upcoming slate includes Captain America: Civil War & Doctor Strange in 2016; Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.2, Spider-Man, & Thor: Ragnarok in 2017; Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War - Part 1, & Ant-Man and the Wasp in 2018; Captain Marvel, Avengers: Infinity War - Part 2, & Inhumans in 2019; and three untitled Marvel films in 2020. Looking at that lineup, they should continue to reach milestone after milestone for the foreseeable future.
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts (and/or argue amongst yourselves about money that doesn't affect you in any way, shape, or form) below!