Marvel Comics films: production costs and global box office revenue 2002-2022

As of mid-2022, three Avengers-related movies were among Marvel Comics' presumably most profitable films. The production costs of "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), "The Avengers" (2012), and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) amounted to 356 million, 220 million, and 250 million U.S. dollars, respectively, while their global box office revenue stood, in the same order, at 2.44 billion, 1.3 billion, and 1.15 billion dollars. The movies' disclosed budgets, however, do not include spending on marketing and advertising, for instance.

Superheroes as a facet of Hollywood

Superhero movies have been on trend for years, experiencing a surge in popularity along with comics and graphic novels. But it isn’t just Marvel leading the way. DC Comics' "Aquaman" (2018) made over 335 million U.S. dollars in box office revenue worldwide, knocking 2016 movies "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad." In 2017, "Wonder Woman" grossed over 410 million dollars, beating "Justice League," which was released that same year and generated 229 million dollars in box office revenue.

A trope for the ages

Although the audience has remained loyal for years, the percentage of American adults who said they like the genre but are getting tired of superhero movies increased over the past few years, standing at 23 percent at the end of 2021. Yet the special effects and explosive battle scenes tend to benefit from the big screen. During a mid-2022 survey, blockbusters and franchise movies recorded the highest share of internet users willing to see the films in the theaters first. Over a third of the respondents said they could wait at least 45 days before this type of movie was made available on streaming platforms.