Marvel Studios movie viewership in the U.S. 2018, by gender

As of 2018, around 45 percent of male respondents and 38 percent of women stated that they had seen one or more films from Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ series. The most widely viewed individual series within the Marvel Universe is ‘Iron Man’, with around 48 percent of men and 41 percent of female respondents stating that they had watched at least one of the series’ three instalments.

 Marvel Cinematic Universe

In the decade since the release of ‘Iron Man’ in 2008, Marvel Studios has produced 22 films and grossed an astronomical 22 billion U.S. dollars in box office revenue, making it one of the biggest names in the film industry. As of October 2019, five Marvel Cinematic Universe films ranked among the ten highest grossing films of all time, with the franchise’s most recent installment, ‘Avengers: Endgame’, being the highest grossing film ever made. Marvel’s films tend to be most popular among younger audiences, but the studio’s ability to appeal to viewers of all ages is part of the reason why its films have been so successful.

 Superhero films

While sometimes criticized for their lack of originality, superhero films are popular among U.S. viewers – around 41 percent of adults reported that they enjoyed superhero movies and intended to continue watching them. Recent Marvel competitors such as DC Comics films ‘Aquaman’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ have also enjoyed success, and movies like ‘Joker’ seek to capture the superhero movie audience while providing a new take on the genre itself.