Summary

• In 2019, the MCU had three films that exceeded a billion dollars, including Avengers: Endgame, which stands out with a worldwide box office take of $2.79 billion.
• The success of Endgame makes it a challenge for the MCU to surpass the financial heights of 2019, even with multiple successful releases in one year.
• Given the future MCU film series, it is unlikely that the record will be broken in 2025, although there is potential for a new record in 2026 or 2027.

Given the overwhelming success of the Marvel film universe I don’t think the franchise will ever top 2019, despite having as many total hits in its highest-grossing year to date. The MCU has had some truly astronomical successes in its 16-year run, with 11 films each grossing over a billion dollars worldwide. Currently, MCU releases account for eight of the top 10 highest-grossing superhero films of all time, making it clear that the franchise defines the genre and will no doubt continue to do so for years to come.

Whether the MCU timeline will ever again see a year as lucrative as its current peak, however, is far harder to say. The MCU film slate of the past few years has had some of the franchise’s biggest box office successes – especially 2021 Spider-Man: Way Homewhich became the third highest-grossing superhero film of all time – but that time period also saw some of the lowest-grossing films. With that in mind, it seems almost impossible that future MCU releases will ever reach the box office records that the 2019 film brought to the table.

The MCU has released three films that have crossed the $1 billion mark

Three films from 2019 mark an important milestone for the MCU

It’s not unusual for MCU films to break the $1 billion mark at the box office, but due to the nature of the franchise’s release schedule, it’s rare for more than one film to reach that record in a year. That makes 2019 all the more notable because The year produced three different franchise-defining films that grossed more than a billion dollars.

It will come as no surprise that one of these record-breaking selections is none other than Avengers: Endgame. The climax of the Infinity Saga became the most financially lucrative film of the entire MCU and the second highest-grossing film worldwide. Final was only beaten by Avatar on this particular list, and considering James Cameron’s sci-fi series debut grossed nearly $3 billion alone, that’s really something.

Given the unprecedented scope and scale Final – And Final$2.79 billion in worldwide gross – it’s easy for the other films that have surpassed that mark to fall by the wayside in comparison. Final an important chapter of the MCU has been completed, Spider-Man: Far From Home promised a fresh start, and its own $1.13 billion gross is a promising sign that audiences are interested in the franchise’s future.

Similar, Captain Marvel The MCU’s relatively unseen past was fleshed out and one of Marvel’s most powerful heroines was established, while also retrospectively showing why and how she would be used in future releases like Final himself. Captain Marvel is also one of two MCU solo hero film debuts to gross over $1 billion in its run – and also reached the $1.13 billion mark – with the other, Black Pantherwhich was released a year earlier. Combined, the MCU films grossed over four billion dollars at the box office in 2019, which is a truly astonishing amount.

Endgame is by far the most successful box office film of the MCU

Endgame’s colossal box office results further cement 2019’s legacy

While the combined power of Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From HomeAnd Avengers: Endgame together is what makes 2019 a really strong year in terms of releases. I think the sheer results Final It’s worth focusing on the Saw series, considering how impossible it seems for the MCU to top the charts this year. Avengers: Endgame is by far exceptional, as its box office figures are $700,000 higher than those of the next highest MCU film – which is to some extent unavoidable, since this film is its predecessor, Avengers: Infinity War.

With the film grossing just under $1 billion more than the second highest-grossing MCU film, it’s clear that unless this unprecedented success can be repeated, the franchise would need to release two still-highly successful films to come anywhere close to its financial heights. In fact, realistically, it might be closer to three films, as two releases would need to gross $1.39 billion or more.

Since this is a number that even big movies like Iron Man 3 And Captain America: Civil War failed to do so, the chances of two films released in the same year reaching these financial milestones don’t seem all that high. However, given the heights the MCU has already reached, it would be far too early to rule it out entirely.

Can the MCU surpass 2019’s box office results in the future?

The current future cast and lineup of the MCU makes it unlikely that it will surpass 2019 – but not completely impossible

Given FinalTo achieve the box office revenue, two separate films worth over a billion dollars would probably be needed, taking into account Spider-Man: Far From Home And Captain MarvelIts own success stories make it seem astronomically unlikely that the MCU will ever be able to match 2019. This is especially true given that the MCU is trying to slow down its release schedule. Bob Iger announced in February 2024: “In our eagerness to turn the volume up a lot, some of our studios lost a little bit of focus. So the first step we took was we turned the volume down, we turned down production, particularly at Marvel.”

With only Deadpool and Wolverine In 2024, the new film for the MCU will be released – albeit with remarkable success – but it was always clear that this year would not be the year in which this record would be broken. Although there are four MCU films to choose from in 2025 – and Captain America: Brave New World as well as The Fantastic Four: First Steps offer some particularly lucrative-looking stories, especially when you consider that audiences have been waiting for the Fantastic Four for decades – all four films would have to gross over a billion to keep up with 2019.

Therefore, it is unlikely that this box office record will be broken in 2025. Avengers: Endgame And Avengers: Secret Wars raise the possibility that 2026 or 2027 could be different, especially with the return of Robert Downey Jr. in End of the world as major Marvel villain Doctor Doom. If this fails, it is possible that the distant future could eventually break this record, especially if the theories about the Mutant Saga following the Multiverse Saga hold up, as it would combine the entire story potential of the X-Men with the MCU is a powerful sounding recipe.

Upcoming MCU movies