Highest Grossing Superhero Movie Franchises

Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com Although there are many ways to profit from the world of superheroes - toys, video games and comic books, to name a few – there is no doubt that one of the biggest money-makers in this space is on the big screen. With data from BoxOfficeMojo.com, a subsidiary of IMDB, we decided to take a look at the ten highest grossing superhero franchises of all time, five of which fall under the Marvel brand. BoxOfficeMojo reports that, since 1978, superhero movies have grossed over $8.24 billion at the domestic box office, with an average gross of $94.9 million per film. So, what are the highest grossing superhero franchises of all time? Click ahead to find out! By Paul ToscanoUpdated 20 Jun 2011Numbers include only domestic box office returns, and not additional profits made from superhero-related products.

Photo: Columbia Pictures Total: $135.6 million Top Performing Films: Hellboy II: The Golden Army (7/11/08): $75.9 million Hellboy (4/2/04): $59.6 millionCharacters owned by Dark Horse Comics

Photo: New Line Cinema Total: $204.9 million Top Performing Films: Blade II (3/22/02): $82.4 million Blade (8/21/98): $70.1 million Blade: Trinity (12/8/04): $52.4 millionCharacters owned by Marvel

Photo: New Line Cinema Total: $256.2 million Top Performing Films: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (3/30/90): $135.2 million Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II (3/22/91): $78.7 million Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (3/19/93): $42.3 million Characters owned by Mirage Studios

Photo: Universal Pictures Total: $266.9 million Top Performing Films: The Incredible Hulk (6/13/08): $134.8 million Hulk (6/20/03): $132.2 million Characters owned by Marvel

Photo: 20th Century Fox Total: $286.6 million Top Performing Films: Fantastic Four (7/8/05): $154.6 million Fantastic Four: Silver Surfer (6/15/07): $132 million Characters owned by Marvel

Photo: Warner Brothers Total: $518.1 million Top Performing Films: Superman Returns (6/28/06): $200.1 million Superman (12/15/78): $134.2 million Superman II (6/19/81): $108.1 million Characters owned by DC Comics

Photo: Paramount Pictures Total: $630,845,432 Top Performing Films: Iron Man (5/2/08): $318.4 million Iron Man 2 (5/7/10): $312.4 million Characters owned by Marvel

Photo: 20th Century Fox Total: $786.4 million Top Performing Films: X-Men: The Last Stand (5/26/06): $234.4 million X2: X-Men United (5/2/03): $214.9 million X-Men Origins: Wolverine (5/1/09): $179.8 million Characters owned by Marvel

Photo: Columbia Pictures Total: $1.11 billion Top Performing Films: Spider-Man (5/3/02): $403.7 millionSpider-Man 2 (6/30/04): $373.6 million Spider-Man 3 (5/4/07): $336.5 million Characters owned by Marvel

Photo: Warner Brothers Total: $1.45 billion Top Performing Films: The Dark Knight (7/18/08): $533.3 million Batman (6/23/89): $251.2 million Batman Begins (6/15/05): $205.3 million Owned by DC Comics

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