Superhero movies - statistics & facts

Superhero movies have become one of the most popular and profitable movie genres worldwide. Over the past decade, millions of comic book fans and movie lovers from around the globe have flocked to the theater to witness the adventures of their favorite characters on the big screen. Thanks to frontrunners like Marvel and DC, who have taken superheroes from convention halls and comic books to the forefront of mainstream pop culture, superhero stories are now firmly positioned among the highest grossing film franchises worldwide. In 2019, U.S. box office revenue of superhero movies reached an impressive 3.19 billion U.S. dollars, with spectacles such as “Avengers: Endgame” and “Spider-Man: Far from Home” performing particularly well among audiences of all ages. As more superheroes are making the jump to the silver screen than ever before, the cinematic landscape will likely be dominated by invincible heroes and heroines for years to come.

Marvel is redefining the franchise movie

Operating under various names since the 1930s, Marvel has produced some of the most recognizable fictional heroes in the United States. For more than a decade, the company has also managed to leverage its experience in the comic book industry to produce some of the biggest blockbusters in Hollywood. As of 2021, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is the most successful movie franchise in North America, outperforming box office hits and other established franchises such as the Star Wars brand by a significant margin. Five of the ten highest grossing films of all time fall under the Marvel banner, which can be explained by their star-studded casts, impressive production budgets, and the studio’s ability to combine storylines of numerous superheroes into an interconnected and ever-expanding universe. As a case in point, Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which features popular characters such as Thor, Captain America, and Spiderman, has become not only the company’s highest grossing comic book adaptation but also the most successful movie of all time.

Is DC the eternal runner-up?

DC Comics is one of the best-selling comic book publishers in North America, currently accounting for a third of comic store sales in the United States. DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. and Marvel’s closest competitor, has also been successfully promoting superhero characters such as Superman, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman to the big screen in recent years. As of 2021, “The Dark Knight” remains DC’s highest grossing comic film adaptation worldwide, with a box office revenue of over 533 million U.S. dollars. The Batman franchise was one of the biggest box office draws from DC’s Extended Universe and maintains its spot among the top ten highest grossing film franchises worldwide. While DC will probably not overtake Marvel’s financial success all too soon, the company will undoubtedly keep its most marvelous competitor on its toes.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Total worldwide box office revenue for Marvel Cinematic Universe films: 26.6bn USD

Total worldwide box office revenue for DC Extended Universe films: 5.8bn USD

Annual domestic box office revenue of superhero movies: 1.44bn USD

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Production costs and global box office revenue of selected Marvel Comics movies from 2002 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)

Cinema & Film

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

Highest-grossing female superhero movies in the United States and Canada as of June 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)

Cinema & Film

Highest-grossing female superhero movies in the U.S. & Canada as of 2022

Highest-grossing movie franchises and series worldwide as of June 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Cinema & Film

Highest-grossing film franchises and series 2022

Recommended statistics

Overview

Premium Statistic Highest-grossing film franchises and series 2022
Highest-grossing film franchises and series 2022
Highest-grossing movie franchises and series worldwide as of June 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Highest-grossing movie franchises and series in the U.S. & Canada 2022
Highest-grossing movie franchises and series in the U.S. & Canada 2022
Highest-grossing movie franchises and series in the United States and Canada as of January 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Average revenue of films in the U.S. & Canada 1995-2022, by selected source material
Average revenue of films in the U.S. & Canada 1995-2022, by selected source material
Average box office revenue of movies in the United States and Canada from 1995 to 2022, by selected source material (in million U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic All time top 10 movies based on comics in North America
All time top 10 movies based on comics in North America
All time domestic box office revenue* of the highest grossing movies based on comics in North America as of September 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Best-sellers: comic books in North America 2021
Best-sellers: comic books in North America 2021
Best-selling comic books in North America in 2021 (in thousands of units)
Premium Statistic Best-selling graphic novels in North America 2021
Best-selling graphic novels in North America 2021
Best-selling graphic novels in North America in 2021 (in thousands of units)

Box office

Premium Statistic Combined annual box office revenue of superhero movies in the U.S. & Canada 1978-2021
Combined annual box office revenue of superhero movies in the U.S. & Canada 1978-2021
Combined annual box office revenue of superhero movies in the United States and Canada from 1978 to 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic DC Comics movies box office revenue in the U.S. & Canada 1978-2022
DC Comics movies box office revenue in the U.S. & Canada 1978-2022
Box office revenue of DC Comics movies in the United States and Canada from 1978 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Marvel Comics films: production costs and global box office revenue 2002-2022
Marvel Comics films: production costs and global box office revenue 2002-2022
Production costs and global box office revenue of selected Marvel Comics movies from 2002 to 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Opening weekend revenue of Marvel movies 2019
Opening weekend revenue of Marvel movies 2019
Opening weekend box office revenue of Marvel movies in North America as of September 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Highest-grossing female superhero movies in the U.S. & Canada as of 2022
Highest-grossing female superhero movies in the U.S. & Canada as of 2022
Highest-grossing female superhero movies in the United States and Canada as of June 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Domestic & global box office revenues of X-Men films 2022
Domestic & global box office revenues of X-Men films 2022
Box office revenue of the X-Men movie series in the United States and Canada and worldwide as of February 2022, by movie (in million U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Box office revenue of Hellboy domestically and worldwide 2019
Box office revenue of Hellboy domestically and worldwide 2019
Box office revenue of the Hellboy series in North America and worldwide as of 2019 (in million U.S. dollars)

Viewers

Premium Statistic Superhero movie viewers in theaters in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Superhero movie viewers in theaters in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Share of adults who have watched a superhero film in a movie theater in the past year in the United States as of February 2019, by age group
Premium Statistic Attitudes to superhero movies in the U.S. 2018-2021
Attitudes to superhero movies in the U.S. 2018-2021
Public opinion on superhero movies in the United States from 2018 to 2021
Premium Statistic Attitudes to superhero movies in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Attitudes to superhero movies in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Public opinion on superhero movies in the United States as of February 2019, by age group
Premium Statistic Fans of superhero movies in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Fans of superhero movies in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Share of adults who consider themselves fans of superhero movies in the United States as of February 2019, by age group
Premium Statistic Familiarity with Marvel's 'Avengers' movies in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Familiarity with Marvel's 'Avengers' movies in the U.S. 2019, by age group
Level of familiarity with Marvel's 'Avengers' movie franchise in the United States as of February 2019, by age group

Characters

Premium Statistic Favorability of actors who played Catwoman in the U.S. 2019
Favorability of actors who played Catwoman in the U.S. 2019
Favorability of the actors who have portrayed Catwoman in live-action movies among adults in the United States as of June 2019
Premium Statistic The Batman movie: Robert Pattinson or Nicholas Hoult as Batman in the U.S. 2019
The Batman movie: Robert Pattinson or Nicholas Hoult as Batman in the U.S. 2019
Preference between Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult as the new Batman actor in 'The Batman' movie in the United States as of June 2019
Premium Statistic Favorability of actors who played the Joker in the U.S. 2019
Favorability of actors who played the Joker in the U.S. 2019
Favorability of the actors who have portrayed the Joker in live-action movies among adults in the United States as of June 2019
Basic Statistic Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker opinions in the U.S. 2019
Joaquin Phoenix as the Joker opinions in the U.S. 2019
Attitudes to how well Joaquin Phoenix will play the Joker in the upcoming movie 'Joker' in the United States as of June 2019

Representation

Premium Statistic Public opinion on the diversity of superhero movies in the U.S. 2019
Public opinion on the diversity of superhero movies in the U.S. 2019
Share of adults who believe superhero movies don’t tend to be very diverse in the United States as of March 2019
Premium Statistic Representation of minorities in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Representation of minorities in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent minorities in the United States as of April 2019
Premium Statistic Representation of LGBTQ people in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Representation of LGBTQ people in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent LGBTQ people in the United States as of April 2019
Premium Statistic Representation of African people in superhero movies U.S. 2019, by ethnicity
Representation of African people in superhero movies U.S. 2019, by ethnicity
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent African people in the United States as of April 2019, by ethnicity
Premium Statistic Representation of Black people in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Representation of Black people in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent Black people in the United States as of April 2019
Premium Statistic Representation of Muslims in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Representation of Muslims in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent Muslims in the United States as of April 2019
Premium Statistic Representation of Asian people in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Representation of Asian people in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent Asian people in the United States as of April 2019
Premium Statistic Public opinion on superhero movies having more white characters U.S. 2018
Public opinion on superhero movies having more white characters U.S. 2018
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent White people in the United States as of April 2018
Premium Statistic Representation of immigrants in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Representation of immigrants in superhero movies U.S. 2019
Public opinion on whether superhero movies should have more characters that represent immigrants in the United States as of April 2019

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Key figures

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