In the United States, around 54 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 have seen one or more of the films from Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ series. This viewership share is not surprising given that all of the currently released Avengers films rank among the top ten movies of all time in terms of box office revenue.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) encompasses the Avengers movies, 18 other superhero films, multiple television series’, short films, and, of course, comic books. MCU is the highest grossing film franchise of all time, with its box office revenues dwarfing those of other top franchises like Star Wars, Harry Potter and James Bond. Single film box office revenues in the billions have almost become the norm for the franchise, and numerous further films and projects are already in the works.

The Walt Disney Company

Marvel Entertainment is a subsidiary of massive entertainment industry conglomerate The Walt Disney Company. Disney, also well-known for its appeal to younger audiences, ranks among the most valuable brands in the world, and its other subsidiary companies include major film studios such as Pixar, Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox, as well as television networks like the Disney Channel, ESPN and FX.

As of mid-2022, three Avengers-related movies were among Marvel Comics' presumably most profitable films. The production costs of "Avengers: Endgame" (2019), "The Avengers" (2012), and "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015) amounted to 356 million, 220 million, and 250 million U.S. dollars, respectively, while their global box office revenue stood, in the same order, at 2.44 billion, 1.3 billion, and 1.15 billion dollars. The movies' disclosed budgets, however, do not include spending on marketing and advertising, for instance.

Superheroes as a facet of Hollywood Superhero movies have been on trend for years, experiencing a surge in popularity along with comics and graphic novels. But it isn’t just Marvel leading the way. DC Comics' "Aquaman" (2018) made over 335 million U.S. dollars in box office revenue worldwide, knocking 2016 movies "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad." In 2017, "Wonder Woman" grossed over 410 million dollars, beating "Justice League," which was released that same year and generated 229 million dollars in box office revenue.

A trope for the ages Although the audience has remained loyal for years, the percentage of American adults who said they like the genre but are getting tired of superhero movies increased over the past few years, standing at 23 percent at the end of 2021. Yet the special effects and explosive battle scenes tend to benefit from the big screen. During a mid-2022 survey, blockbusters and franchise movies recorded the highest share of internet users willing to see the films in the theaters first. Over a third of the respondents said they could wait at least 45 days before this type of movie was made available on streaming platforms.

In 2024, the average worldwide box office revenue of superhero movies was 453.1 million U.S. dollars. While that value represents an increase in comparison to the year prior, it has also halved since 2019, when it stood at 1.1 billion dollars. That year saw the release of several billion-dollar movies, such as "Avengers: Endgame", "Spider-Man: Far from Home", "Captain Marvel", or "Joker".

The graph shows the share of adults who have watched a superhero film in a movie theater in the past year in the United States as of February 2019, sorted by age group. The data reveals that 66 percent of U.S. adults aged between 18 and 29 years old said that they had watched a superhero film in a movie theater in the past year, however 75 percent of those aged 65 or above said that they had not.

The most successful Marvel movie to date is by far 'Avengers: Endgame', which generated 357.12 million U.S. dollars in domestic box office revenue in its opening weekend alone. Second was 'Spider-Man: No Way Home', which made 260.14 million during its first weekend in movie theaters.

Superhero movies and TV shows are foremost popular among Millennials, as 66 percent of them watched a superhero movie once a month in the United States in 2021. More than half of Gen Z respondents claimed to watch superhero movies and shows with the same frequency.

As of January 2025, the Marvel Cinematic Universe series was the highest-grossing film franchise with total worldwide box office revenue of 31.06 billion U.S. dollars. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019) was Marvel's highest-grossing movie with 2.8 billion dollars in global revenue. The "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" series followed with worldwide box office revenues of about 10.32 billion and 9.56 billion dollars, respectively. May the profit be with you The Star Wars series started in the late 1970s and has captured the attention of nerds and moviegoers in general ever since. Released just before the COVID-19 outbreak, the latest film of the saga, "The Rise of Skywalker," recorded a global box office revenue of over one billion dollars. This is almost four times more than the production of the movie had cost. The success of the franchise goes beyond the realm of cinema. The video game Star Wars: Squadrons, for instance, sold over one million digital copies worldwide in the first month of its release in October 2020. Fantastic box offices: where to find them again? While Star Wars has a history of peaks and valleys, the Harry Potter franchise seems to be jinxed since the launching of its prequel series, Fantastic Beasts. The box office revenue of "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" (2018) stood below 655 million dollars worldwide. This is the lowest revenue generated by a movie from the Harry Potter universe since the brand debuted on the big screen in 2001. The amount is also nearly 20 percent below the global box office of its predecessor, "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" (2016).

Since 2008, the number of MCU releases has remained relatively constant before exploding in 2021 and 2022 with the releases of nine movies and TV shows belonging to the franchise. In 2023, a total of three movies and two TV shows were released.

The graph shows the share of adults who considered themselves fans of superhero movies in the United States as of February 2019, broken down by age group. The data reveals that superhero movies were overall less popular among older respondents, with 54 percent of U.S. adults aged 65 or above saying that they were not fans of superhero movies, compared to just 22 percent of 18 to 29 year olds who said the same.

As of June 2023, “Loki” was the most popular Marvel show on Disney+, with an estimated 2.5 million households watching the series premiere within its first five days. The latest addition to the Marvel repertoire on Disney+, “Secret Invasion,” drew around 990,000 viewers.

The crown jewel of Disney Plus

Walt Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment not only cemented its position as the most powerful media conglomerate in Hollywood, but also helped pave the way for the company’s success in the streaming realm. By having exclusive streaming rights to the MCU, the highest-grossing movie franchise worldwide, Disney+ can set itself apart from other established competitors such as Netflix. And while many viewers use the service for Disney’s original programming, a large share of surveyed viewers also stated that they subscribed to the service predominantly or exclusively because of its Marvel content.

Disney’s other gems

But which titles draw viewers to the service, other than Marvel? Another major selling point of the platform is its vast and ever-expanding catalog of Star Wars content. Not only do titles from the cult franchise rank among the highest-grossing movies of all time, but as the House of Mouse continues to expand the Star Wars universe at lightning speed, original productions like “The Mandalorian” or “The Book of Boba Fett” are quickly becoming some of the platform’s most sought-after titles.

In 2023, Universal alone accounted for over one-quarter (20.3 percent) of the box office revenue in the United States and Canada, thanks to blockbusters such as "Oppenheimer". Disney ranked second in box office market share at 16.2 percent. Warner Bros held a share of approximately 16 percent that year. Disney's superpowers The company's performance at the so-called North American box office led to yet another outstanding placement in the U.S.'s mediascape. In 2022, Disney's box office market share once again stood above 25 percent, a milestone the studio has been achieving every other year since the second half of the 2010s. But an overreliance on superhero stories – noticeable since Disney acquired Marvel in 2009 – may have its days counted. The share of moviegoers in the U.S. saying they were getting tired of so many superhero movies grew by six percentage points between mid-2018 and the end of 2021. Who has the range? Diversity in film genres seems to also be important to attract newer audiences. During a mid-2021 survey, over a third of responding Gen Zers said their main motivation for attending movie theaters was a variety of movie offerings. This segment is key for the cinema industry. Historically, the 12-17 age group has been recording the highest average of movies seen per capita in a theater in the U.S. In 2021, the figure stood at 2.5. Among people aged 50 and above, the average stood below one.

As of August 2024, "Furious 7" (2015) was the highest-grossing movie in the Fast & Furious franchise. The seventh installment of the series grossed around 1.5 billion U.S. dollars globally, of which 353 million were generated in the United States and Canada. Fast & Furious: financial facts The Fast & Furious franchise encompasses ten action movies, various spin-off films, and television shows. The series' first installment, "The Fast and the Furious," which was released in 2001 and starred Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker, grossed an estimated 206 million U.S. dollars at the global box office. As of 2021, "The Fate of the Furious" (2017) amassed the highest production costs of all Fast & Furious movies. A down to earth franchise What sets the Fast & Furious films apart from many of the world's other top-grossing movie franchises is that they revolve around real people instead of superheroes or other characters with supernatural abilities. While the protagonists sometimes seem to break the laws of physics by performing high-speed car chases and daring stunts, they are still somewhat relatable compared to the comic book characters or mythical creatures from which most Marvel and DC movies are drawn.

In 2023, the proportion of Australians attending the cinema at least once per year was around 59 percent. Historically, cinema attendance in Australia has been around the 70 percent mark. In 2020 and 2021, the attendance rates dropped drastically due to mandatory closures of cinemas during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they have started to recover in recent years.

Ticket prices

Steady attendance in recent years can be attributed, at least in part, to there only having been small fluctuations in ticket prices. In 2021, the average price of a cinema ticket was 15.24 Australian dollars; an increase of one dollar from the previous year. Overall, average prices have increased by less than five dollars since 2007. Maximum ticket prices have seen similarly small fluctuations across the same time frame. The maximum price in both 2017 and 2018 (as well as 2013 and 2014) was 27 Australian dollars. In other years, and despite a 2011 peak of 28.50 Australian dollars, prices settled between 23 and 25 dollars.

Cinemas

An additional factor that has helped cinema attendance and keeping ticket prices low is the dominance of independently owned cinema screens in Australia. In 2021, there were a total of 706 screens that were independently owned in the country. By comparison, the largest chain by number of screens, Event Cinemas, owned 588 and Hoyts owned 388. Of course, cinemas would not attract visitors without films to go and see. The enduring popularity in recent years of Marvel films, amongst others, has also driven cinema attendance. In 2021, two of the most successful films at the box office were Marvel productions; Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which took total box office revenue in Australia of 9.42 million U.S. dollars, and Black Wodow, which took 9.18 million U.S. dollars.

Average ticket prices for Australian cinemas have remained around a similar level over the last few years, with only small year on year price fluctuations. In 2023, a ticket cost on average 16.96 Australian dollars. Average ticket prices have increased by less than five Australian dollars overall since 2011.

Maximum ticket prices and attendance

Maximum ticket prices reached 27 Australian dollars in both 2017 and 2018, an increase of two dollars from 2016. Prices peaked in 2011 at 28.50 Australian dollars, and in other recent years settled between 23 and 25 dollars. It is perhaps due to the largely steady ticket prices that attendance has remained at around 70 percent since 2013. It fell to this level again in 2018, following a dip below 70 percent in 2014 and 2015, and a climb to a peak of 72 percent in 2017.

Cinema ownership and box office

Most cinema screens in Australia are independently owned. In 2019 there were 726 privately owned screens in the country compared to 560 owned by Event Cinemas and 560 owned by Hoyts, the two largest chains. Partly thanks to the enduring popularity of the film franchise, the Australian box office attracted healthy revenues in 2019. Avengers: Endgame recognized total box office revenue of 51.87 million U.S. dollars, the live action version of Disney classic The Lion King 41.32 million U.S. dollars, and Marvel’s Captain Marvel took 24.41 million U.S. dollars.

After an increase in original scripted TV series in the United States between 2020 and 2022, the amount decreased in 2023. 516 original scripted drama, comedy, and limited TV shows were aired on broadcast and cable TV as well as on streaming services in 2023, down by 14 percent from the previous year. Impact of the strikes in Hollywood on TV productions With writers and actors being on strike for several months in 2023, the industry was likely to see a temporary decline in scripted TV show productions and releases as a result. An analysis from mid 2023 showed that over half of productions were expected to be affected by the work stoppages from September 2023 to April 2024. As the strike had not been resolved as of July 2023, even more TV series than expected had been affected. Concerned consumers During the strike, several studios announced production delays of highly anticipated shows and films, such as the last season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and every upcoming Marvel movie. According to a survey from May 2023, U.S. consumers were particularly worried about TV shows being delayed or canceled due to labor disputes. Nearly 40 percent of respondents stated to be concerned about series, while only one percent were worried about movies being impacted.