Highest Grossing Superhero Movie Franchises

Source: BoxOfficeMojo.com Disney’s $4 billion acquisition of Marvel Entertainment brings 5,000 new characters into the Disney family, and potentially huge profits. Although there are many ways to turn a profit on 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. Box Office Mojo reports that, since 1978, superhero movies have grossed over $7.28 billion at the domestic box office, with an average gross of $94.6 million per film.So, what are the highest grossing superhero franchises of all time? Click ahead to find out!By Paul ToscanoPosted 31 Aug 2009Numbers include only domestic box office returns, and not additional profits made from superhero-related products.

Photo: Sony Pictures Total Gross: $227.9 millionRelease Date: 7/2/08Character owned by Sony/Columbia Pictures

Photo: New Line Cinema Total: $256.2 millionTop Performing Films:TMNT (3/30/90): $135.2 millionTMNT II (3/22/91): $78.7 millionTMNT III (3/19/93): $42.3 millionCharacters Owned by Mirage Studios

Photo: Disney/Pixar Total Gross: $261.4 millionRelease Date: 11/5/04Characters owned by Disney/Pixar

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

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

Photo: Paramount Studios Total: $318.4 millionRelease Date: 5/2/08Characters owned my Marvel

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

Photo: 20th Century Fox Total: $786.5 millionTop Performing Films: X-Men: The Last Stand (5/26/06): $234.4 millionX2: X-Men United  (5/2/03): $214.9 million  X-Men Origins: Wolverine (5/1/09): $179.8 millionCharacters owned by Marvel

Photo: Sony Pictures Total: $1.11 billionTop Performing Films:Spider-Man (5/3/02): $403.7 million  Spider-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 billionTop Performing Films:The Dark Knight (7/18/08): $533.3 million  Batman (6/23/89): $251.2 millionBatman Begins (6/15/05): $205.3 millionCharacters owned by DC ComicsReplay SlideshowHighest Grossing Inflation-Adjusted Movies of All-TimeBiggest Money-Making StarsMore from Box Office Mojo

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