Whenever a new movie premieres, there's always uncertainty about whether it will be profitable, manage to cover its budget and bring in extra money. While the MCU has a better starting position than most movies thanks to its fame and popularity among the fans, it doesn't mean all of its movies became huge hits.

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Some don't bring a large profit while others exceed all expectations. The most profitable MCU movies all have something in common at a closer glance. They bring in beloved characters but also work with something new that draws the audience in and makes them visit the cinemas in large numbers.

Updated July 18, 2022, by Kath Leroy: The MCU has made a successful transition into the world of TV shows by premiering multiple series on Disney+. However, despite its TV success, it continues to release several feature films each year, just like it has been doing so for the last decade. Not all MCU movies meet the same level of success. Some of them fly more under the radar while others prove to be huge hits. The pandemic has negatively influenced the box office results of some newer MCU movies but as a whole, the MCU is still a highly profitable cinematic universe and the best-grossing MCU movies have earned profits that many other movies can only dream of.

14 Thor: Ragnarok (2017): $854 Million

Chris Hemsworth as Thor in Thor: Ragnarok

At the moment, it doesn't seem like the newest Thor movie, Love and Thunder will repeat its predecessor's success, despite the fact that Taika Waititi directed both of the movies. After the more serious and dramatic first two Thor movies, Thor: Ragnarok with its strong emphasis on comedy and scenes improvised by the actors felt like a breath of fresh air.

So even though Thor had to face the destruction of his home, the movie made the fans laugh, and they saw it in great numbers. Tom Hiddleston's reprisal of the fan-favorite villain slash antihero Loki also helped make Thor: Ragnarok into one of the MCU's most financially successful movies.

13 Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017): $863 Million

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Baby Groot Disney Marvel Studios

The first Guardians of the Galaxy movie achieved a substantial profit back in 2014, with its total box office gross of 772 million dollars. However, it wasn't until the sequel that the Guardians showed their true worth when they scored almost additional 100 millions. Possibly because the viewers were already better familiar with the characters.

Another reason for the movie's increase in profits as opposed to volume one could be the presence of Baby Groot who went on to become one of the most beloved MCU characters. Groot is even set to get his own TV series on Disney+. Whatever the cause, the second Guardians of the Galaxy offered the right mixture of emotions, humor, and action, and the box office results reflected the movie's overall quality.

12 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017): $880 Million

Peter wears an "I survived my trip to NYC" tee in Spider-Man: Homecoming

Even before Spider-Man made his triumphant return to the MCU, he was a well-known superhero, and not just among comic book fans. The previous Andrew Garfield movies and, above all, the Sam Raimi trilogy with Tobey Maguire, made Spider-Man into one of the most recognizable superheroes among moviegoers.

Spider-Man had previously made an appearance in Captain America: Civil War (2016) and got positive reactions from the audience, so the fans eagerly anticipated his first solo adventure. The movie brought something new to the MCU - a teenage high school comedy combined with superhero action - and Tom Holland took on the world by storm as the titular webslinger. Despite the movie's respectable box office gross, the Spider-Man trilogy in the MCU would go on to reach even better results in the future.

11 Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness (2022): $954 Million

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Runtime

The box office results of the MCU movies premiering in 2022 and 2021 suggest that the MCU fans aren't quite ready to say goodbyes to some better-established MCU characters, regardless of how much the MCU might like them to shift their focus to the new and upcoming heroes, such as the Eternals or Shang-Chi.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness proved this when it scored almost 300 million more than its predecessor, the 2016 Doctor Strange which earned a box office gross of 677 million dollars. Benedict Cumberbatch's popularity might have factored in the movie's success, as well as Sam Raimi's directing style, and finally, also the fact that the movie offered one of the most relatable and understandable villains, Scarlet Witch, driven to the edge by the loss of her family.

10 Captain Marvel (2019): $1.128 Billion

Brie Larson as Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel managed to get several firsts. It was the first MCU movie with a female superheroine in the solo leading role (Wasp teamed up with Ant-Man), and it was also the first movie that took place in the 1990s.

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That allowed not only to bring young, less cynical Nick Fury onto the scene but also led to Carol Danvers and Fury becoming an unexpected buddy duo. The movie's combination of sci-fi and comedy worked, and it became a hit, making over a billion with a budget of only $160 million.

9 Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019): $1.132 Billion

Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Far From Home

Avengers: Endgame changed the MCU forever, but it was Spider-Man: Far from Home that finished the third phase of the MCU. Once again, the audience went to cinemas in large numbers, eager to see how Peter Parker would deal with the tragic death of his mentor, and how would he defeat Jake Gyllenhaal's Mysterio.

The movie also did what no other Spider-Man live-action story dared to - it took Spider-Man out of New York and into Europe, making the story all the more refreshing for it.

8 Captain America: Civil War (2016): $1.153 Billion

Captain America Civil War

Captain America followed in the footsteps of Iron Man and his third adventure also turned out to be the most profitable one. However, unlike Iron Man, Steve Rogers had a lot of help in the Civil War. Other than Thor and Hulk, all Avengers showed, plus new, long-expected superheroes, Spider-Man and Black Panther.

To this day, the movie can be considered the third unofficial Avengers movie. It was also highly important for the future of the MCU as it created the conflict that drove the Avengers apart and potentially stopped them from defeating Thanos together when he first showed up on Earth.

7 Iron Man 3 (2013): $1.215 Billion

Robert Downey Jr in Iron Man 3

When somebody says 'the best MCU movies,' most people don't think of Iron Man 3 as their first option. Some fans are convinced the movie wasn't as good as the first part. Whatever the case, Iron Man 3 defeated both its predecessors when it comes to the box office.

It could have been caused simply by Tony Stark's growing popularity or by the fact that the audience suspected this would be the last solo Iron Man movie with Robert Downey Jr. (which turned out to be true). Either way, the movie cost $200 million to make and earned well over a billion.

6 Black Panther (2018): $1.348 Billion

Black Panther Chadwick Boseman

Black Panther solved a problem that the previous MCU movies faced - they only showed one corner of their superhero universe. This movie led the audience to a brand new world, the wonderfully evolved and rich country of Wakanda with its own culture and traditions.

Combined with the acting performances of the talented cast and the story of a family fighting family, the movie worked its magic, and it made $1.347 billion with a budget of just $200 million.

5 Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021): $1.901 Billion

Spider-Man No Way Home Tom Holland

The latest Spider-Man movie once again proves that the third solo adventure of a superhero can often be the most profitable one. It happened both with Iron Man and Captain America, and Spider-Man follows in their footsteps.

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The movie is still running in cinemas at this point, so its profit will most likely still grow and perhaps even surpass Avengers: Age of Ultron. Whether that's the case or not, Spider-Man: No Way Home drew thousands of people in thanks to the return of many legendary characters as well as the fact that its predecessor ended on a major cliffhanger.

4 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015): $1.403 Billion

Avengers: Age of Ultron Captain America and Thor

Just like its predecessor, The Avengers, the sequel Avengers: Age of Ultron also had a strong potential to be a new hit. And it happened as well, even though the reviews were more critical than the last time.

Some fans weren't happy with the Hulk and Black Widow romance or the entire portrayal of Ultron, the main villain. On a more positive note, the movie brought in Vision and Wanda Maximoff, who would go on to play a major part in the MCU and even started the Disney+ Marvel TV universe six years later.

3 The Avengers (2012): $1.519 Billion

Avengers Assembled

It probably won't surprise anyone that the first Avengers movie broke the billion-dollar threshold as the first MCU movie. After all, it's been hyped since Nick Fury's first appearance in Iron Man (2008). And The Avengers didn't disappoint. It brought the team together and made them work side by side despite their initial differences.

It also worked with a fan-favorite villain, Tom Hiddleston's Loki, so success was almost assured in this case. The movie more than returned its $220 million budget and paved the way for other Avengers adventures.

2 Avengers: Infinity War (2018): $2.048 Billion

Avengers Infinity War Groot

The final showdown with Thanos was coming for a long time as Thanos first showed his face all the way back in The Avengers in 2012. But when he finally decided to get the Infinity Stones together, the heroes and the audience alike had no idea what to expect.

In the end, Infinity War turned out to be quite possibly the saddest MCU movie as well as one ending with the biggest cliffhanger. The Avengers lost, but the movie won at the box office, making over $2 billion for the first time in the history of the MCU.

1 Avengers: Endgame (2019): $2.798 Billion

Avengers Endgame Captain America holding Thor's hammer

Avengers: Endgame was easily the most-anticipated movie in the MCU, so its success didn't really come as a surprise to the world. The fans were eager to find out whether their favorite heroes would be able to defeat Thanos for once and for all and bring back the characters who were snapped.

Today, everybody knows the answer was yes, but it wasn't without heroes dying, which is another thing that makes Endgame different from the rest of the MCU movies, other than its record-breaking box office gross.

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