Top 15 Highest Grossing Superhero Movies Ranked
Ever since the release of Superman the Movie in 1978, the comic book genre has been dominating the box office. So in today’s blog post I’m going to rank the 15 highest grossing superhero movies. Let’s get started!
15. Captain Marvel: This is a movie that every time I watch it, I enjoy it. I’ve never hated this movie or found it to be a bottom tier MCU movie. It’s a slickly produced MCU movie with a great central dynamic between Captain Marvel and Nick Fury. Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson have great chemistry and bring lots of laughs to the movie. Ben Mendelsohn is another stand-out here and loves the performance that he gives as Talos. And the 90s setting does provide some nice touches of humor here and there. But this is a prequel that answers questions in such a stupid way. The big one being how Nick Fury lost an eye, that is unforgivable the answer they gave. And I don’t think bringing back Ronan was necessarily for this movie.
14. Iron Man 3: A very good ending to the Iron Man trilogy that has so much to offer. Right off the bat, I love the dialogue written for Tony Stark in this movie. The sarcastic humor of Shane Black matches perfectly with the way that Robert Downey Jr. delivers lines and the way he interacts with the kid in the middle is really funny. Some of the action in the movie is handled very well, the plane rescue scene and the final battle being two of the standouts here. But I think the biggest issue with this movie is the villain situation here isn’t very good. They set up a great villain with Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin but the twist here wasn’t very good. And I like Guy Pearce as an actor but Aldrich Killian in this movie is so one note, bland, boring, and forgettable. And like other MCU sequels, the movie has a few to many plot lines in it to make it a bit unfocused.
13. Spider-Man: Far From Home: What I think this movie does the best is provide some of the best Spider-Man action in any of the movies. We get 4 big action sequences and all 4 of them are shot very well, it’s hard to pick a stand-out in my mind. It’s also a super funny MCU movie with a lot of great laughs inside of it, especially the first half of this movie has so many great jokes inside of it. Tom Holland is charming and heartfelt in the role. Jake Gyllenhaal is good as Mysterio, but I think Gyllenhaal is good as the character. The writing for Mysterio is so bad and really holds this movie back for me. I just can’t buy into Mysterio’s plan and what he’s trying to do. There are way too many lapses in the logic of how things would play out.
12. Avengers: Age of Ultron: This was a very solid follow-up to the original movie, and while it is easily the weakest of the franchise. It’s not a bad movie by any means and still a very watchable movie. The movie takes everything to the next level. The action is bigger, the jokes are bigger (and a bit better), and the character tension is even more threatening here. But bigger and more doesn’t always mean good, and that is the cast with this movie. This movie tried to get a home run but only got a double. They took everything to the next level, but it’s to a fault. There are way too many characters and plot lines in this movie for one movie. And I don’t think the romance between Bruce and Natasha was all that well handled and came out of nowhere. But like I said, if you liked the action, jokes, and characters from the previous movie then you will like this movie. But the expectations of Joss Whedon feel a bit flat.
NOTE: As we go into the top 11 here, these are movies that I would give a B+ and above to. So they all range from very good to great to amazing.
11. Aquaman: One of the more entertaining and rewatchable DCEU movies out there. While there might be better made movies, this is a watchable movie. And there are two reasons for that. First up, the action in this movie is shot very well. James Wan knows how to shoot some great action sequences where you can see everything that is happening on screen. And the cast here is a lot of fun Jason Momoa seems to be having a lot of fun playing this half man half fish character. And this version of Aquaman is pretty similar in the way that Momoa is in real life. Patrick Wilson is great as Ocean Master, and the writing for the character is very interesting. There is a truth in what his goal is, but the way he is doing it is evil. That is when you have an interesting villain. Now the plot here is very familiar and feels a bit to Black Panther and The Lion King. And some of the CGI is a bit FISHY. Anyone? No? I’ll show myself out.
10. Black Panther: Now I think this movie had the advantage of coming out first, and that’s why I put it above Aquaman. But this is such a different type of MCU movie, but still very much feels like an MCU movie. This movie takes inspiration from Shakespeare and mixes it with the MCU and it works. The villain Killmonger is a great and compelling villain played so well by Michael B. Jordan. And what makes him a great character is that he changes the world view and perspective of T’Challa in the movie. He is Wakandaian in his blood, but raised outside of Wakanda. So what he is doing isn’t necessarily wrong but the way he goes about it is wrong, therefore making him villains in nature. But the visuals here, especially in the third act of the movie, really aren’t up to par with other MCU movies. But in general, a very good MCU movie.
9. Incredibles 2: After waiting 14 years, we finally got a sequel to The Incredibles. And for the most part this is a very good movie with some issues here and there. It’s a movie that is just as fun and exciting as the original movie, it’s never really slows down or bores him whatsoever. Brad Bird knows how to shoot great action and provides a bunch of his talent in this movie. Jack-Jack just steals the show with his humor and I love the scene with him and the raccoon in the backyard. And the score by Michael Gicahhino is very good and holds the movie together. But Screensaver I found to be a bit to one dimensional and the twist with the character was predictable and feel a bit flat for me. And some of the new heroes in the movie weren’t necessarily super memorable and slightly annoying to me. But in general, a very good follow-up.
8. The Dark Knight Rises: Christopher Nolan’s ambitious and truly epic finale to his Batman trilogy. I think it’s safe to say that this is the largest scale of the trilogy. The story here is spanning months and Nolan shot this movie with IMAX cameras and it just makes the movie look really cool. There are a lot of great scenes and sequences in this movie. I think the opening plane heist in this movie is fantastic and it’s a great way to start this movie. I think that Tom Hardy gives a great performance as Bane in this movie and fits this world really well. Sure, parts of the plot here aren’t the best. And there are some laps in the logic. But overall, a great movie that book ends the trilogy really nicely with the final 5 minutes of the movie.
NOTE: The top 7 here I will give all A’s to. So even the movie I have at number 7 I still love!
7. The Avengers: The first big event movie for the MCU, and Joss Whedon and Kevin Feige pulled it off. They brought in all of these heroes introduced in Phase 1 and brought them together for a team-up movie. The banter and interactions between the heroes is so good and really funny. So many jokes in this movie do land and work for me. And the third act to this movie delivers some of the best and most fun moments in the entire MCU for me. This is a movie that I saw back in 2012 in the theaters and have loved it ever since then.
6. Joker: This might be the most anticlimactic movie on this entire list. And I don’t say that as a negative. This movie feels more like Taxi Driver than it does a comic book movie. It’s a character study of this guy who is treated badly by society and wants revenge. But of course the glue holding this movie together is Joaquin Phoenix who is just phenomenal in this movie. You don’t see Joaquin Phoenix, all you see is The Joker. Oscar well deserved in my mind. And I’m not opposed to them doing a sequel to this movie, so overall I love this movie.
5. Spider-Man: No Way Home: A movie that delivers high amounts of fan service in the second half of the movie. I don’t want to spoil anything but my theater went nuts in the second half of the movie, I was one of them. While the movie has plenty of entertainment and fan service, it also provides a great character arc for Peter Parker and an emotional one. You really feel like Peter went on this arc that changed him as a person. And it is nice to see returning villains come back for this movie. Green Goblin being the big stand-out here and Willem DeFoe plays the character really well. So this is one of the most well rounded movies on this list that delivers great fan service and a great central character arc for Peter Parker.
4. Captain America: Civil War: Avengers 2.5 or Captain America 3 works because the conflict between Team Captain America and Team Iron Man makes sense. The previous movies did a great job of building towards this movie with the different world views of Steve and Tony. And when they do come in conflict with one another, you really feel that. You feel that these two friends feel betrayed by one another. But the cherry on top of all of this is that fantastic airport battle that is long, it’s like 20 minutes long. And every character gets a moment to shine inside of it. I know some people aren’t the biggest fan of Zemo as a villain but I thought he was used very well inside of this movie as a mastermind that is pulling these heroes apart from one another. This is a great MCU movie with entertainment and emotion, it’s a great time at the movies.
3. Avengers Infinity War: A truly epic MCU movie with sky high ambitions and the movie’s ambitions don’t fall flat. The stakes here are so high with the entire universe being put into danger, and you feel that. Thanos poses a legitimate threat towards The Avengers, he is the biggest threat they have ever faced. Speaking of Thanos he is one of the best villains in the MCU, where this is really his origin story, his movie. Since all of the heroes were already developed and established in previous movies the movie can focus on Thanos and what makes him tick. He’s probably the most developed of the MCU villains. It’s also just fun to see so many characters interacting with one another. The banter between Thor and The Guardians is just great and really funny stuff. Even the banter between Iron Man and Doctor Strange is really funny stuff. And this all leads to an emotional and jaw dropping finale. This is a true superhero epic.
2. The Dark Knight: One of the more complex movies on this entire list with a greatly crafted story. In my opinion, this is probably the best made comic book movie out there. It’s a movie that isn’t as simple as good vs bad. The movie teaches the audience that good can be bad and bad can be good. It’s complex with it’s themes but all of it works and lands and it takes you on this compelling narrative for 2+ hours. And with this movie you have to talk about Heath Ledger as The Joker who just gives this world class performance. You don’t see Ledger in the role, all you see is The Joker, this force of chaos in Gotham City. And prior to this movie, Ledger was a teen heartthrob and people were so confused when he got cast as The Joker. But look at where that ended up for me. I even think what Aaron Eckhart does as Harvey Dent in the movie is also really good and I think it's a bit overlooked because Ledger is so iconic. This is just one of the best comic book movies of all time and it’s just one of the best movies of all time.
1. Avengers Endgame: I’ve said main main main times on my blog but this is my favorite movie of all time. This is also my most anticipated movie of all time and it lived up to the hype. They had a near impossible task of paying off 11 years worth of character arcs, and they could have failed at that. They could have failed to provide a satisfying conclusion to these characters but they didn’t. How they close out the arcs of both Iron Man and Captain America is so satisfying and emotional. And it feels like the logical end point for their characters. And as you move into the third act it delivers on some of the best fan service in cinematic history. My theater went nuts opening night when a certain hero picked up a certain weapon and when portals started opening. And almost 3 years later every time I watch this movie, it still puts a big smile on my face. So easily, this is my number 1.
There you have it, my ranking of the 15 highest grossing superhero movies. Also I plan on doing more of these types of rankings in the year 2022. What genres would you like to see mo do? Thanks for reading!
Comments