Top-Grossing Superhero Franchises
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 2011
Numbers include only domestic box office returns, and not additional profits made from superhero-related products.
10. Hellboy
Total: $135.6 million
Top Performing Films:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (7/11/08): $75.9 million Hellboy (4/2/04): $59.6 million
Characters owned by Dark Horse Comics
9. Blade
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 million
Characters owned by Marvel
8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
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
7. The Hulk
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
6. Fantastic Four
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
5. Superman
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
4. Iron Man
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
3. X-Men
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
2. Spider-Man
Total: $1.11 billion
Top 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
1. Batman
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