When it comes to box office earnings, superhero films are definitely uo there with their earning potential. For almost a decade Richard Donner’s ‘Superman’ was the second highest grossing film in 1978 and Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ was on top of the charts in 1989.
Since then, the superhero trend took off all across the globe and one after the other, films were making and breaking records.
The DC and Marvel cinematic universes have truly helped ignite our imagination and bring these characters out of comic books and onto the big screen, bringing all our childhood dreams to life. Be it an otherworldly demigod who has special powers or an eccentric billionaire who is also an armoured superhero, we have seen it all. These movies not only have captured our hearts but have also got the bankrolling and made megabucks at the box office.
Here is a list of 8 of the highest grossing movies from both cinematic universes.
1. The Avengers (2012) – 1.52 Billion USD
© Marvel
The original Avengers truly encapsulate the word ‘Blockbuster’. With a stellar cast and all the major Marvel Superheroes under one roof, fans of the series flocked to theaters and helped make ‘The Avengers’ the highest grossing superhero movie of all time. The critically acclaimed movie saw Nick Fury, director of the peacekeeping organization S.H.I.E.L.D., recruit Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, and Thor to form a team that must stop Thor’s brother Loki from subjugating Earth. Now, what else do you need?
2. The Avengers 2- Age Of Ultron (2015) – 1.4 Billion USD
© Marvel
Post the battle of New York in the previous film, Tony Stark, and Bruce Banner work on creating Ultron, an Artificial Intelligence to help The Avengers work on saving the human race. Problems emerge when Ultron becomes hostile and decides to wipe out the human race. Well, breaking the box office record created by the Avengers franchise is a big, big task indeed.
3. Iron Man 3 (2013) – 1.214 Billion
© Marvel
On facing a formidable for in the form of the Mandarin, who manages to wipe out everything dear to Tony Stark, he is forced to change directions and focus on finding newer and innovative ways to defeat his enemies. The third instalment of the Iron Man franchise was not the best of the trilogy but it was damn fine entertainment.
4. Captain America- Civil War (2016) – 1.153 Billion
© Marvel
Governments across the World have been fighting to control the Avengers. With the incident in Sokovia, a rift is now appearing in the Avengers, with one faction supporting the need for control over their actions and the other believing that control only brings about corruption. Plus, we got that amazing airport fight scene between all the Marvel heroes.
5. The Dark Knight Rises (2012) – 1.08 Billion
© DC Comics
It has been eight years since the Joker was defeated by the Batman. Since then, Gotham City hasn’t needed the Bat. But, a terrorist by the name of Bane has decided to attack Gotham and hold it hostage. That pretty much is a call to Bruce Wayne to come out of his self-imposed exile and defend the city once more. This was the final Batman film in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy.
6. The Dark Knight (2008) – 1.004 Billion
© DC Comics
The criminals of Gotham call on the services of a mysterious man called the Joker, who has the power to wreak havoc on Gotham City. Batman teams up with Lieutenant Gordon and District Attorney Dent to defeat the Joker and derail his plans to bring chaos and destruction to Gotham.
7. Spiderman 3 (2007) – 890 Million
© Sony
Peter Parker, finds a symbiote that changes his behaviour for the worse and has to fight a man made out of sand! Apart from all the other craziness in his life, his relationship with Mary Jane also goes through a rough patch. With three villains and an insane dance number, ‘Spiderman 3’ made a ton of cash at the box office.
8. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) – 879 Million
© Marvel
Peter Parker had the experience of a lifetime working with the Avengers. However, once back to his normal life, he feels the need to be something more than just be a neighbourhood superhero. His real test comes when he has to balance his high school life and being a superhero all while battling the menacing Vulture.