Yahoo Finance Revealed: The superheroes making Marvel the most money
Avengers: Endgame has hit theatres to rapturous - and unsurprising - success, with the combined cinematic might of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Panther and Captain Marvel hauling in a whopping US$1.2 billion (A$1.70 billion) at the global box office in just five days.
And in the US alone, it took home US$350 million in its opening weekend, in a box office smash that would make even the Hulk proud.
Sure to ignite debate over which Marvel superhero is the most heroic, muscular or witty, the film’s staggering success also triggers another question: which Marvel superhero has brought in the most at the box office?
Related story: The number behind 'Avengers: Endgame' box office records
Related story: Posh suburb says 'Yabba Dabba Don't' to ‘eyesore’ Flintstones House
Related story: Michael Corleone’s ‘Godfather’ home hits market
We break down Marvel’s standalone superhero movies based on their performance at the global box office, and the amount of money Marvel spent to make them. All figures are in USD.
Iron Man
The first movie in Marvel’s cinematic university starred Robert Downey Junior as Tony Stark.
His three films, Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 have raked in $2,421,720,208 from combined budgets of $556,000,000, according to move data website, The Numbers.
That’s a total profit of $1,865,720,208.
2. Captain America
There have been three Captain America films, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
Together, they’ve brought in $2,225,041,078 at the global box office.
From a combined outlay of $560,000,000, that’s a profit of $1,665,041,078.
3. Thor
Starring Aussie actor, Chris Hemsworth, the three Thor films, Thor, Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok have brought in a total $1,940,909,158 from a combined budget of $480,000,000.
That’s a profit of $1,460,909,158.
4. Black Panther
One of the more recent additions to the Avengers, Wakandan king, Black Panther has become a firm fan favourite.
First appearing in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther’s standalone film starring Chadwick Boseman made $1,348,258,224 at the global box office, from a budget of $200,000,000.
That’s a profit of $1,148,258,224.
However, Black Panther gets an honourable mention for landing the single film to bring in the most at the global box office.
5. Captain Marvel
The Brie Larson vehicle, Captain Marvel, was released in March this year, and was the first Marvel film featuring a female superhero in the lead role.
It brought in $1,110,441,798 at the global box office, from a production budget of $152,000,000.
That’s a profit of $958,441,798.
6. Ant-Man
Paul Rudd has had two outings in the Ant-Man costume, Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Together, the films have hauled in $1,142,003,109 from combined budgets of $260,000,000.
That’s a profit of $882003109.
7. Spider-Man
Spider-Man: Homecoming starring UK actor Tom Holland was the first Spider-Man film inside the Marvel cinematic universe.
It made $880,166,350 at the global box office, from a budget of $175,000,000.
That’s a profit of $705,166,350.
Marvel is set to release the latest Spiderman film, Spider-Man: Far From Home in July this year.
8. Doctor Strange
The Benedict Cumberbatch film, Doctor Strange, made $676,404,566, from a budget of $165,000,000.
That’s a profit of $511,404,566.
9. The Hulk
He’s only had one outing, starring Edward Norton. It made a relatively measly $265,573,859 from a $137,500,000 budget.
That’s a profit of $128,073,859.
The question is: would a Mark Ruffalo-led film have done much better?
Make your money work with Yahoo Finance’s daily newsletter. Sign up here and stay on top of the latest money, news and tech news.
